Premier Scott Moe says in his meeting with the Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau told him he did understand the frustrations the people of Saskatchewan are harbouring. However Moe describes the meeting Tuesday as disappointing and says what he came away with is that Saskatchewan will see more of the same from Ottawa.

Moe says he did not receive a commitment on the issues which were raised in their discussion which included putting the carbon taxation on pause so that the path forward will achieve real results in Saskatchewan. He also wanted a wealth distribution policy that is fair to all provinces including the three provinces which have had the lowest GDP growth rate over the course of the last five years. Moe also wants to see policies in place that allow Saskatchewan to get its goods to market, beyond the TMX pipeline.

Moe pointed to what he described as a very trying harvest which has resulted in a lot of tough, wet grain in the bin which in turn has meant large carbon tax bills for farmers due to the propane and natural gas they have to use to dry the grain.

He acknowledges the carbon tax may be viewed by some premiers as a way to reduce emissions but stresses that is not the case in Saskatchewan and points out Saskatchewan’s government has always said the provinces should retain their jurisdiction when it comes to climate policy and that his government will continue the fight in the Supreme Court of Canada.