REGINA — The first sessions of the Premier's Advisory Council on CUSMA, an industry-facing council made up of business leaders from economic sectors across Saskatchewan, have taken place.
In a news release the province says the advisory council is represented by a cross-section of industries, consisting of companies that have significant exports to the U.S., and those that have been heavily impacted by tariffs.
Premier Scott Moe spoke about the advisory council Friday at a media event at the legislature, alongside the Minister of Trade and Export Development Warren Kaeding, Minister of Energy and Resources Chris Beaudry, and Minister of Environment Darlene Rowden,
"The ministers behind me, as well as the minister of agriculture, are breaking into some sector-specific tables to hear directly from the industries that are creating wealth and opportunity in our Saskatchewan province from corner to corner, so that we can take that information in a very concise way and provide it to our federal government to support the federal government, and our lead negotiators, the Ambassador (Mark) Wiseman as well, as we find our way into the CUSMA review process here," said Moe.
"I know I've talked with other provinces that will be doing some similar work as well. I think this is very indicative of a nation working together to ensure that we are as well prepared at that review table as we possibly can be."
As for who will make up the council, Moe said they will be working closely with "not only the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce, but the Saskatchewan Trade and Export Partnership as well, as well as any other industry organizations."
The table, he said, is really "open to anyone that's impacted by CUSMA. That's who we want to hear from to ensure that that information in a very concise form is provided to our lead negotiators."
Beaudry spoke of discussions he has already had in the energy sector.
"I actually just returned from Calgary late last night at the energy roundtable," said Beaudry.
"Some of the main comments that were said yesterday were that energy isn't the next superpower — it is the superpower now. These negotiations, where they land, are going to be extremely important for our partners in the energy industry and for this province moving forward. We're going to reach our goal of 600,000 barrels. We're going to surpass that. We are going to be the energy superpower."
"The sectors that certainly Trade and Export has got at their roundtable would be the manufacturing side, from Ag manufacturing to just our general manufacturing, whether it's making ambulances to trampolines here in the province," Kaeding said.
"Each one of them has components that they may source from all over the world as well as the U.S., and each one of them has tariff implications. So we certainly want to be able to articulate how the CUSMA agreement has been supporting them and in their businesses, and certainly each one of them has some valuable input that we need to get from them as to how they want us to best represent them at the federal table as they're having those discussions with the United States and with Mexico."
Other cabinet ministers will involved as well. Premier Moe said Agriculture Minister David Marit would be involved on the agriculture side, and other ministers would be involved as needed.
The goal is to "open up the points of contact as a group, but even individually so that we have the information to provide to the federal government. I think the federal government will be quite happy to have that information available so that we know the consequences of what is happening at that review table with the United States."
The CUSMA joint review is set begin on July 1. Discussions will be led by the federal government, and Saskatchewan says in a news release it will share its priorities leading up to and throughout the review process.
The province says it will hold sector-specific roundtables for agriculture, manufacturing, energy, mining and forestry over the coming weeks.
Already, business leaders in the province are welcoming the move to set up the CUSMA advisory council.
"Saskatchewan's resource economy depends on predictable, rules-based trade with our partners," Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce CEO Prabha Ramaswamy said in a statement.
"The chamber welcomes this advisory council as an important mechanism for ensuring the province's priorities are heard throughout the CUSMA review process. From potash to canola to uranium, the businesses we represent have real stakes in the outcome of these negotiations, and we look forward to contributing to a process that strengthens Saskatchewan's position in the markets that matter most."
In a news release, the province pointed to the importance of trade with both the U.S.A. and Mexico. They pointed out that the U.S. is Saskatchewan's largest trading partner, with exports valued at $23.7 billion in 2025, 54 per cent of the province's total exports. Top exports to the U.S. include crude oil, potash, canola oil and uranium. The province said it also exported more than $949 million to Mexico in 2025.
The opposition New Democrats made known they were unimpressed with Friday's announcement from the government. Opposition Leader Carla Beck said in a statement that the panel is only now being set up, just a month before the July 1 start date of the review process.
“We respect the members of this panel, and their expertise and advice. But let's be clear, the Premier should have set this up when these tariffs were announced. It is obvious that the Premier is not interested in leading, but following the lead of either the White House, or the Prime Minister," Beck said in a news release.
“If I were premier, this council would have been established over a year by now, providing advice, but also charting a path forward for Saskatchewan."
