NDP Opposition Leader Carla Beck made a stop in Humboldt on Friday, March 7 as she gathered information on the region and spoke to local citizens on both the opportunities and challenges faced in the region.
Along with Beck was Shadow Minister for Municipal Affairs, Jared Clark, and Regina Rochdale MLA Joan Pratchler who originally hails from the Muenster area and acts as the Shadow Minister for Early Learning and Child Care.
Their day started at the Uniplex and the usual flurry of activity along with the promotion for the Bronco Lotto Early Bird Draw. During her time, Beck and the team sat down with Humboldt Mayor Rob Muench and City of Humboldt CAO Joe Day to talk about the challenges the region foresees.
“Top of mind not only the tariffs but the BHP expansion coming online on schedule, or maybe even ahead of schedule, and all of the opportunity, but also some of the challenges that brings, especially around housing and people being able to find childcare.”
Beck says the NDP caucus is connecting with rural municipalities across the province about the “on again, off again” tariffs imposed by the US government. Humboldt and area may see unique barriers given the concentration of agricultural industry that drives a good chunk of the local and provincial economies.
“Being in the Iron Triangle, a world class ag manufacturing area, that threat looms large,” Beck comments. “We didn’t pick this trade war. Canada and the United States have a 150 year proud history when it comes to trade negotiations and cooperation. We’ve seen a real shift in that relationship and it’s one that’s impacting people across this province and across this country.”
Beck acknowledges that the tariffs are having a deep economic impact in the United States itself. The situation prompted Beck and her colleagues to send a letter to Scott Moe inviting a united approach.
“Partisan politics aside, this (tariffs) represented a threat to our entire province, and we would be willing to work cooperatively, using all the contacts we have on both sides of the border, along with business connections and those impacted in this province to put forth a ‘Team Saskatchewan’ approach.”
Beck says activating those voices on both sides of the border who are already seeing negative effects will hopefully prompt those in power in the White House to pull back and end the trade war. Even if that happens, Beck acknowledges that the relationship between the countries has changed, and that will bring on more lasting effects and efforts.
“It has added to the need in this province, and right across the country, to be investing in trade enabling infrastructure – to increase rail capacity, to ensure that more of what we produce in Saskatchewan and across the country can get to port, to increase port capacity, to look at investing in power lines and pipelines, to twin the Trans-Canada Highway.”
It’s all an effort, Beck says, to ensure “we’re not caught flatfooted again,” with an over-dependence on a single trading partner.
Beck is also focused on agriculture, which garnered attention during her visit. Now, a threat of tariffs from China on canola goods opens a second front of concern. It’s a commodity that’s extremely sensitive to market pressures, and that raises alarms.
“We cannot see our canola industry in this province take a hit as we are seeing from these tariffs placed on canola. We need to make that very clear, and we’ve always said that Saskatchewan is willing to do their part, but we cannot be disproportionally harmed when it comes to any federal approach.”
Beck advocates the federal government taking measures to protect canola markets given that the Chinese tariffs are a response to those Canadian tariffs placed on Chinese electric vehicles and other consumer goods. Again, she says it's a matter of developing trade relationships with other partners to forge an extensive and diversified international trade environment.
Beck anticipates more such talk at the SARM convention in the upcoming days. The sentiments have been echoing in every room she’s visited with a common sentiment.
“I hope tomorrow Donald Trump wakes up and decides he’s done with the tariffs,” Beck confides. “But at the same time, what’s been made very clear is that we can no longer be dependent on the United States – that we need to use all tools in the toolbox to ensure we are increasing east-west trade and expanding markets.
I saw in Humboldt that we are incredibly proud of what we manufacture, grow, mine and export in this province, and how we do it. We need to continue to provide support and stability here at home and right across the country at a time when stability is in short supply.”
