REGINA — As the calendar flips over to the month of June, a number of longstanding issues remain a focus of attention at the provincial level.
Among those is western separatism, which was on full display this past week after Alberta Premier Danielle Smith put a referendum question to Alberta voters on whether they should hold a vote on independence.
The topic spilled over into a sometimes-tense Western Premiers' Conference in Kananaskis, where Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew publicly clashed with Smith at the closing news conference over the issue of the duty to consult.
"It is not up to the petition gatherers to fulfill the duty to consult, it is up to you as the Alberta government to fulfill the duty to consult," Kinew said at that news conference, as he held firm to his view that Alberta ought to remain in Canada.
Speaking to reporters Friday, Premier Scott Moe was again asked about the referendum question and whether Alberta ought to delay the vote.
"It's not my decision. It's the Premier of Alberta's decision," Moe said.
"With two questions being put forward, opposing questions, I think what the Premier of Alberta has tried to do is to draw the line and to not actually ask a referendum question, but ask the people of Alberta for direction on should they. I think that's a fair thing, is to allow the people to speak more broadly, and not just in a petition to have a question put to them, but to speak more broadly on what the direction of the government should be, and then to take that direction."
As for how he sees his own role as Saskatchewan premier in that campaign, Moe responded that what he would say is that he would "hope all Canadians just reflect a little bit on the reason why we love to be Canadian and love to be a part of this nation, and there are a great many reasons why."
"Certainly there's challenges, and we've felt some of those in this province, and I know they have in Alberta, at least to the level we have in Saskatchewan, and I've spoken about those on many, many occasions over the course of the last eight and a half, nine years. But the fact is, when you look at what has happened, and you maybe just set some of those differences aside, and you see what is happening today, it is changing. The Prime Minister is changing the direction of the federal government to the level that I think he's capable of with the caucus that he has, and there's some bumps, even, and some pressures coming from his very own caucus. But he is changing with the major projects office that wasn't here a couple of years ago, with the MOU with Alberta, which admittedly is not perfect, and may need some further refinement as we find our way to this province, but it is a change in the approach of the federal government with the relationship with Alberta."
Moe's comments to reporters came while he attended the Western Canada-India Leaders Summit in Regina on Friday, a meeting in which Saskatchewan's trade with India was a major topic.
Trade was a major focus of the government on Friday. Later that day came the announcement at the legislature that the province would be striking a CUSMA advisory committee to gain feedback from the business community in the lead-up to the review of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement.
At that announcement came word from Moe that the province is planning more trade missions to other countries.
Moe confirmed that Minister of Trade and Export Development Warren Kaeding was heading back to China for a followup to the previous Saskatchewan trade missions to that country. That trade mission began May 30 and is to go to June 6.
According to a provincial news release, Kaeding will lead a delegation that will meet with private companies, business leaders, post-secondary institutions and government officials from China, with meetings taking place in Beijing as well as the provinces of Jilin and Guangdong.
Moe also confirmed on Friday that he plans to go to Europe, including Eastern Europe, in the next number of weeks on both nuclear and potash. He told reporters Friday afternoon that trade "continues to be a focus. And it is a focus because we are going to continue to see these levels of investment in the future."
NDP still focused on SaskPower, wildfires
Meanwhile, the opposition New Democrats have continued to concentrate their efforts on opposing SaskPower rate hikes and on the cost of extending coal generation in the province.
SaskPower has applied for 3.9 per cent rate increases for 2026 and 2027 to the Saskatchewan Rate Review Panel. Last week, the NDP were calling for the Saskatchewan Rate Review Panel process to be scrapped and restarted, with SaskPower critic Aleana Young claiming SaskPower "has not been provided full, transparent, or accurate information by SaskPower" on costs.
The Rate Review Panel wrapped up its public consultation period on that application as of last Friday's deadline for submissions. But the NDP have not let up since then. On Monday, Young again accused the government of covering up the costs of extending coal.
At a media event outside SaskPower, Young said the Opposition had submitted another freedom of information request to SaskPower on costs associated with the coal extension and on retrofitting the Shand Power Station for natural gas, and said that in response they got back hundreds of pages of blacked-out, redacted documents.
"This has kind of become business as usual but it shouldn't, because this matters," said Young, who accused the government of "ongoing political interference" with SaskPower.
The NDP have been claiming the cost of extending coal is $26 billion, while the government has countered the actual capital cost is $2.6 billion.
June 1 also marked the date that SGI was due to increase its auto insurance rates by 3.75 per cent. NDP critic Darcy Warrington issued a statement condemning the impact on the cost of living.
"For Saskatchewan families, this is becoming a familiar routine. Open the mailbox. Check the bank account. Brace for another bill. After 20 years of the Sask. Party, groceries cost more, rent costs more, power costs more, property taxes cost more and now, car insurance costs more, too. The only thing that doesn't seem to be keeping up with increasing costs are people's paycheques."
The NDP have also voiced concern about the wildfire situation in the province following news of evacuations in the RM of Shellbrook over the weekend. At a media availability in Saskatoon, the NDP's Hugh Gordon was demanding that MNP's review of the wildfire disaster response be released, four months after it was promised.
In a media call Monday, Moe said the MNP report would be released as soon as it is available. Moe also said the review was extended because MNP wanted to further consult with stakeholders and individuals.
"It wasn't because the government has been sitting on the report for an extended period of time," Moe said. "There was additional work MNP wanted to do. When it's ready and available we will look to release it as soon as it's available."
