REGINA — The NDP is accusing the Moe government of being missing in action this week after major announcements by the federal government on major infrastructure and transportation developments to the West Coast.
At a news conference at the legislature Friday, Opposition Energy critic Sally Housser pointed to the announcement by Prime Minister Mark Carney and British Columbia on “major infrastructure and economic development investments to support port access, transportation, and more.”
She also pointed to Carney’s meetings in Alberta about “a major pipeline to the West Coast that could help shape Canada's economy for decades to come.”
“And while all of that was happening, Saskatchewan is nowhere to be found,” Housser said.
“That's the problem. People across Saskatchewan know we have everything it takes to be an energy leader. We have the resources, we have the workers, we have the expertise. And yet time and time again, we find ourselves watching opportunities happening somewhere else. And that's frustrating. Because Saskatchewan shouldn't be sitting on the sidelines while decisions about Canada's future are being made.”
Housser said Saskatchewan “should be helping lead those discussions” and fighting for its share of the jobs and investment that come with them, and that any pipelines being built should be built with steel made in Saskatchewan.
Housser also noted that for 295 days the NDP had been calling on the Sask. Party to release the list of projects it is advocating for in national discussions.
“We don't know what projects they're pushing, or if they're pushing any at all. And we don't know how Saskatchewan plans to compete for the nation-building opportunities being discussed right now. That's not leadership.”
When she was asked about some of the projects the government has touted publicly, such as uranium and copper mines happening in the north and the AI data centre near Regina, Housser again demanded to see the list of major projects.
“There hasn't been, again, I mean, when we've asked for this list, the Premier has said, well, everything's a priority. And as we all know, if everything's a priority, nothing's a priority.”
She added that “not a single project with a dollar figure has been announced with the feds to this point. So this is what we want to know. What are we advocating for, right? This is, we're in a period in Canada and the federal government, you know, a change from what we've seen in the past, seems genuinely committed to building our energy infrastructure and our trade infrastructure for the future. And these are discussions, again, that we shouldn't be on the back foot for.
“We should be leading. We have all the resources here that we should be the powerhouse within Canada. And it appears that we're always on the sidelines.”
As for what she wants to see from the government in terms of projects, Housser said “I think the best start would be to know what the government thinks is the priority.”
“You know, obviously, I think that electrical interties is a major part of this conversation for how we grow as a province and how we grow as Western Canada. You know, in addition to pipelines, love to see some investment in rail, and particularly short-line rail of how we, you know, move our products around. Again, I mentioned, and this is something when we look at, you know, where Saskatchewan and the federal government's priorities tie together, development of the north in that respect. You know, it's incredible to think of all the critical and rare earth minerals and the uranium and everything happening in the north where we still only have kind of one dirt highway going there in order to develop in a way that we need. And this is in the national interest, not only for those critical minerals, for defence and other things. I think that that would be an ideal project that we should be talking to the federal government about and advocating for.“
There was also a reaction from the Canadian Taxpayers Federation to the federal announcements in B.C. and Alberta. In a statement Friday, it called on Prime Minister Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith to scrap carbon taxes and repeal anti-pipeline laws instead of borrowing billions of dollars for pipeline projects.
Housser’s reaction was that she thought that “for anything you naturally want to see a level of private investment in it …”
“But ultimately when we're talking about building our nation's future and our economic sovereignty and our energy future, then public dollars, and particularly at the federal level, should be a part of that conversation as well.”
