Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe speaks at Saskatchewan's Legislative Building, in Regina, on June 15, 2020.Mark Taylor/The Canadian Press
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says he wants to hear the federal government pledge its support for the oil and gas industry in next week’s throne speech.
Mr. Moe has sent a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and federal opposition leaders outlining what he would like to see addressed.
Saskatchewan has no Liberal seats in the House of Commons, and the Saskatchewan Party Premier said that he wrote the letter with the hope that the province’s interests will be represented in the Sept. 23 speech.
“This doesn’t mean the voices of Saskatchewan people should be ignored,” Mr. Moe said of the lack of representation in the federal government, while at an infrastructure announcement in Saskatoon on Tuesday.
He wrote in the letter, dated Monday, that people in the province are worried about the federal government’s intention to present an “ambitious green agenda.”
Mr. Moe said he wants to see Ottawa commit that Western Canada’s oil and gas industry has a sustainable future.
“While all Canadians would support a commitment to environmental protection and sustainability, there is significant concern that your ‘ambitious green agenda’ is code for shutting down our energy industry, a major driver of Canada’s economy,” reads Mr. Moe’s letter.
He’s also asking again for Ottawa to pause charging its carbon tax until the Supreme Court of Canada rules on its constitutionality.
The case is to be heard at the country’s top court next week.
Mr. Moe said in the letter that residents in his province are being “inequitably impacted” by paying the federal carbon price at the same time Ottawa is doling out billions of dollars in spending to support Canadians through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mr. Moe also asks in the letter for federal support for the development of small modular nuclear reactors, funding for a massive irrigation project and addressing concerns around federal health transfers and the fiscal stabilization program.
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