REGINA — The opposition New Democrats are pressing Premier Scott Moe to fly to India immediately to lift the 30 per cent duties on yellow peas imposed by India.
NDP Finance Critic Trent Wotherspoon had a mock Air Canada boarding pass ready for Moe to travel from Regina to New Delhi, India's capital, to negotiate with the government of India to remove the latest tariffs.
Wotherspoon said producers have been "devastated" by the tariffs by China on Canadian canola, and said it took Premier Moe "six months to find his way to China."
Now, with the tariff on Canadian yellow peas imposed by India on top of that, "this simply cannot be left to stand," said Wotherspoon.
"This Premier needs to step up for producers on this province in this country at this time. It's not acceptable than the Premier is idle here in Saskatchewan instead of stepping up on the ground in New Delhi in India right now, making the case along with the federal government that those tariffs need to be removed."
The Sask Party government had a response ready before Wotherspoon even met the media Monday. They issued a news release saying the NDP have "zero credibility when it comes to trade," and pointed to a number of recent media reports and statements from NDP MLAs critical of previous government trips to India, and critical of the trade office there.
"Today’s call for a trade mission to India demonstrates the NDP only care about doing what is politically expedient rather than what is in the best interests of Saskatchewan people," the government news release read. They added that "this is the same NDP who remained silent when India imposed a 30 per cent tariff on lentils in 2017 and a 50 per cent tariff on yellow peas from 2017 to 2023. They once again, seem to be flip flopping their stance on international trade."
"It's laughable," was Wotherspoon's reaction to the government's statement. "It's a sad day for Saskatchewan when they can't count on their Premier and their government to step up on their behalf and to do their job but instead to be playing political games, putting out this nonsense, to be spouting lies at a time when they should be stepping up for producers."
The government also noted Premier Moe had "led successful trade missions to India in 2018, 2023 and 2024." It was Wotherspoon's view these efforts were not enough.
"It is clearly not enough at this moment, right? They can look in the rearview mirror and back-pat themselves all they want and twist things around. What they need to do right now is secure a win for producers and to end those tariffs, and clearly they need to be stepping up right now with the federal government and we think they should be on the ground to make the case because producers simply shouldn't be left to pay the price."
During Question Period on Monday, Opposition Leader Carla Beck posed the question to Premier Moe if it would take him "another six months to act" to get on a plane to India.
"You have got to be kidding me," said Agriculture Minister Daryl Harrison. "Those members, time and time again, have lashed out at our trade offices and trade missions."
Harrison then cited a number of media reports including one from SaskToday last year headlined "Moe's latest visit to India draws ire of NDP." He also quoted Regina South Albert MLA Aleana Young saying "this trip to India is unnecessary."
"We've always been here to support our producers, our trade offices around the world are there to support our producers as well," Harrison said.
