REGINA – Saskatchewan has been the destination this week for federal Secretary of State Wayne Long in his pre-budget consultations across Canada.
Long, whose responsibilities include the Canada Revenue Agency and Financial Institutions, was in Saskatoon on Tuesday and Regina on Wednesday holding consultations with key stakeholders in preparing for a federal budget this fall.
"I've been going out for the last couple of months, obviously everywhere from Kelowna, Victoria, British Columbia, St. John's Newfoundland, consulting with Canadians," Long said in speaking to SaskToday.
"Budget 2025 was, I'd say, you know, the first chapter in our book, but we've got a lot more to write, so Budget 2026 is obviously the next step."
That budget will be released in November, Long said. He described pre-budget consultations as "important, they're meaningful, because we do want to hear from Canadians, we want to hear from families, we want to hear from businesses, sectors, industries, you name it."
While in Saskatchewan, Long said they have had "some great meetings out here with, you know, Canpotex on the potash side. We've toured with BASF on the… scientific research side. We've had an agriculture roundtable out with canola growers, the wheat boards — the different sectors that would help contribute to our budget."
As for what kind of feedback Long has received in the province the last couple of days, Long said one of them was that Saskatchewan "wants to be a part of the solutions."
"I mean, we know that we have challenges to the south of us. We know the world that we're living in is vastly different than it was even a year ago. And we know that we need to build our own country. We need to build our own economy. We need to invest in each other. And I don't think there's any doubt that the agriculture industry in Saskatchewan, the potash industry in Saskatchewan, is vital to the economic health, the economic growth of this country. We want to make sure we're doing what we can to make sure that we're working with Premier Moe, we're working with provincial government, we're working with municipalities to avail funding."
A part of that pre-budget consultation, he said, is to "get that feedback — whether that's funding for housing, infrastructure, health care, economic development, defence, aerospace, you name it. We want to make sure that we take the feedback we're getting and put that towards Budget 2026."
As for what particular priorities people in Saskatchewan want to see, Long pointed to "more infrastructure spending."
"They want to see more investment in, obviously, water, sewer, roads, infrastructure, bridges. But they also want to see investment in community, whether that's arenas, community centres, hospitals, you name it. So we want to make sure that we put the pieces in place that allows provinces, allows communities to make those investments in infrastructure, number one."
Number two, he said, was to "make sure we invest in the agriculture sector. We want to make sure the agriculture sector is healthy. We want to make sure we invest in critical minerals, and we want to make sure that those industries are healthy."
Infrastructure fundjng, in particular, is a major issue for the federal government and for local and provincial leaders in the province.
Last fall, provincial and municipal representatives from Saskatchewan led a delegation to Ottawa to lobby the federal government on infrastructure spending, putting forward a cost-sharing proposal that would also include funds from provincial and municipal governments. Long said he heard about that issue during his latest visit to Saskatchewan.
"We understand that there's a role for the federal government to play in working directly with municipalities, communities, towns, and we want to make sure we do avail funding," he said.
He pointed to Build Communities Strong funding available directly to communities, and said they had "great discussions" with rural municipalities at a roundtable that day
"They talked about the needs for rural areas, you know, the energy needs, making sure we build the electrical grid, and again, invest in infrastructure and other investments to help these communities grow and prosper."
Another major issue is trade, with trade negotiations currently ongoing with the USA. Long said that is another issue he is very much focused on.
"Absolutely. I mean… we've invested $100 million in the Trade Diversification Fund. We want to make sure we invest in ports, roads, bridges, you know, water, sewer, et cetera. But with respect to trade, look, we recognize that there's industries that have been impacted in a major way with trade. Obviously, we have steel, aluminum, (we've) got the automotive sector."
Long also pointed to canola and the deal that was struck when Premier Moe and Prime Minister Mark Carney travelled to China — a deal Long said "basically saved, I would say, the canola sector certainly right now."
"And we want to make sure that we're there for those sectors. We always will be. We recognize that, you know, we have challenges in trade with our friends in the south, and we're always going to have, you know, support available for those sectors to get us through this difficult time."
Long also said they would "continue to focus on affordability for Canadians."
"We're always going to be focused on affordability for Canadians. We certainly recognize that the incumbent on us as a government, as a society, can make sure we look after our most vulnerable. So whether it's the Canada Child Benefit, school food program, child care, dental care, housing programs — we just launched the Groceries and Essentials Benefit.
We cut the federal excise tax. We're going to continue to make sure that we're there for Canadians in these difficult times with respect to affordability."
Fuel tax a hot issue
As for that current suspension of the federal fuel tax, there has been some calls in recent days from the Canadian Taxpayers Federation to keep the 10 cent a litre federal fuel tax suspended past Sept. 8, when it is due to come back on.
Long was asked if there was any consideration by the government to keeping the fuel tax off past September. The indication from Long is the government is looking at their options and listening to people on the issue.
"I mean, look, the war in Iran, I think, caught everybody off guard with respect to what it did to gas and oil prices," said Long.
"We're in listening mode. I mean, we did pause the federal fuel excise tax. We're looking at every option… Every tool is on the table, per se, to make sure we can respond to affordability."
Long adds the government is going to "make sure we continue with measures to help Canadians through this difficult time."
As for how the pre-budget process will unfold for the government in the coming months up to Budget Day, Long said the feedback he received in Saskatoon and Regina this week goes back to the Finance Minister, the Finance department, and to the Prime Minister.
"The feedback is absolutely vital. It's absolutely critical. And it's a big part of how we build our budget."
Long also said that he wanted to assure Canadians that "we are listening, and we want to make sure that we get the feedback to build that budget."
"I mean, Budget 2025 was the first chapter in the book. It was course correction. It was a signal to the world and to Canadians that we are going to invest in each other. We're going to invest in infrastructure. We're going to invest in major projects. And we're going to build our economy. Sure, we've been kicked in the stomach by what's happened to the south, but it's also a wake-up call for us as Canadians. We need to stand together. We need to build together. And we're going to build 2026 as that next step in building a strong economy."
