The Government of Saskatchewan says it is joining a growing list of provinces and industry groups calling for reform of representation on the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority.

Currently, only 1 of the 11 board members represents the provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. Eight are appointed by the federal government, 1 by the province of BC and 1 by the municipalities that boarder the port authority.

Premier Scott Moe says, “As a group, the prairie provinces make up 85% of the Port’s export value, but only have 9% of the representation on the board.” The Premier says, “We believe that model does not provide balanced representation for the Prairie Provinces and are asking for the VFPA board to be restructured.”

Specifically, the Government of Saskatchewan wants the federal government to appoint 2 members; the provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba to each appoint 2 members recommended by port users; and, the municipalities that border the port authority’s jurisdiction to appoint one member.

The Premiers of the three Prairie Provinces have written to Prime Minister Trudeau offering to engage and work with the federal government on the port governance structure.

In 2019, Saskatchewan exported $13.5 Billion worth of goods through the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority and in 2020, the four Western provinces were the source of 98.9 million tonnes of cargo worth $78.2 billion shipped through the Port of Vancouver.