REGINA - Business leaders, politicians and more have gathered in Regina for the Western Canadian Economic Forum (WCEF).
One of those politicians was Premier Scott Moe, who talked during the event about the potential tariffs that would affect Sask. come Feb. 1.
During a media scrum, Moe was asked if he was rushing to figure out a way to stop the incoming tariffs.
In response, Moe said, "no." He added, "I think everything's urgent as we're, you know, trying to navigate, you know, a fairly uncertain environment. We've been here before a number of years ago under the previous Trump administration with respect to [the] steel tariffs, and [well] if you think back, we had, you know, the Canadian ambassador came out and said that he had a meeting and said [that] tariffs weren't coming on. [Well], they came on later that day, and so you know, things can be a little bit erratic."
As Moe was discussing things becoming unpredictable, he mentioned every word that comes from Canadian politician's mouths need to focus on de-escalating the entire conversation around tariffs.
Regarding Canadian politicians, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the premiers across Canada, including Moe, will be attending a first ministers' meeting on Wednesday.
Reporters asked Moe what he would say in the meeting, which he mentioned would be a similar message to what he’s previously stated.
These messages include Moe supporting "very targeted tariffs and counter-tariffs that can change the hearts and minds of policymakers in the U.S."
Moe was also asked what he expected to hear from Trudeau in the meeting. He reiterated the de-escalation of the looming tariffs and also mentioned seeing what the response from the federal government would look like. A few days ago, the federal government announced a $200 billion retaliation on U.S. goods if tariffs are imposed.
Speaking about the potential tariffs Canada would impose on the U.S., Moe has made his concerns clear regarding dollar-for-dollar tariffs, which he believed would hurt Canada and North America while continuing to escalate the tension between the two countries. Moe added, "If we were to start exporting like potash or oil [and] if the federal government saw [it was] fit to do that [it] would rip this country apart and under no circumstances should be part of any conversation."
As Moe is working to try to de-escalate talks, Sask. is sending out a border patrol blitz on Wednesday as part of the $1.3 billion investment from the federal government to strengthen border security.
Moe believes with the additional security, Sask. can do more around 20 to 50km north the border to keep drugs out of communities.
A reporter brought up whether Moe was going to pay attention to drugs coming into Canada or drugs going into the U.S.
Moe said, "both ways." He added, "I don't think the direction is going to matter. If there's drugs in a vehicle, those folks need to be arrested, and those drugs need to be seized. And we need to do more of that across Canada, not just at the borders. We need to do more of that. And my message [throughout the situation] has been at our First Ministers meeting, is to not only keep an eye on the 49th parallel but to also keep an eye on the ports that we have in our airports, as well as our cargo ports."
Tariffs' impact on Regina
In the grand scheme of the potential tariffs, not only would they affect provinces but the cities and towns across the country as well.
In Regina, the city could lose around $175 million worth of business immediately if the tariffs were imposed, said Chris Lane, Economic Development Regina CEO.
When talking about the potential length of the tariffs, Lane said, "The more worrying part is that over time, if those tariffs and those policies remain implemented, is that companies that build their headquarters and their production facilities in this part of the world start moving that into the U.S. and that is a bit of a nightmare scenario and so I think there's no sugarcoating the idea that this would be impactful."
In terms of hearing concerns from local businesses, Lane said it depends on the size and scope of them.
He also mentioned groups are drawing up contingency plans, whether the tariffs could be a three-day issue or a three-month issue.
As Lane points out, many businesses are already worrying about inflation, and having tariffs could add knock-on effects that increase the cost of living for business owners and consumers.
So, Lane's first priority has been working "in the local business community and engaging [in] sort of those kind of actions and those kind of preparatory measures."
From there, Lane has focused on "building a U.S. engagement strategy. So, what are we doing to meet with and advocate and change [the] minds [and] hearts of agencies and people of influence and industries of influence in some of Saskatchewan and Regina's largest trading partners south of the border."
Lane wants to make sure in the American economy that "we never let them forget what kind of a partner Saskatchewan is and what the opportunities are and also what the risks are for them and for us."
