Carla Beck, leader of the Official Opposition Saskatchewan NDP, visited Moose Jaw on Thursday to criticize Premier Scott Moe and his Saskatchewan Party for delaying the start of the spring sitting of the Legislature, attempting to play too nice with Trump’s administration, and ignoring their obligation to communicate openly with their constituents.
“The response yesterday, that I saw from our premier, was weak,” Beck told media during a press conference outside Gibson Energy’s Moose Jaw Refinery. “A weak response to a trade war that we didn’t start, but we have no intention of backing down from. These tariffs that have been imposed by Donald Trump represent an existential threat to Moose Jaw, to Saskatchewan, and to Canada.
“We’ve seen, in this city, good times, we’ve seen bad times, but we have never seen something like this in any of our lifetimes, and unfortunately, we have Scott Moe and the Sask Party doing the bare minimum.”
Beck outlined some of the industries in Moose Jaw, calling the city a place of “grit” that “punches well above its weight.”
Moose Jaw is a world-class hub for agriculture, a major distribution centre for trucking on the Trans-Canada Highway, sits at the heart of potash production in the province thanks to its proximity with Mosaic and K+S, home to Alpine Plant Foods, and the Moose Jaw Refinery, she said.
She also praised Moose Jaw’s tourism industry and history on her way to accusing Moe of not doing enough to protect jobs and the economy.
“We have people who are worried about their jobs at a time when people are already struggling with the cost of living, people concerned about their communities, and nowhere was our premier to be found,” Beck claimed.
“When he did come out, he had a statement that wasn’t critical of the US administration and that provided no comfort for people in this province. It’s clear that Scott Moe and his ministers don’t have a plan.”
The NDP leader reiterated her persistent calls for the spring sitting to begin at the normal time. Premier Moe has delayed the sitting until Budget Day on March 19, defending the move by saying he and his ministers need the time to negotiate with American counterparts.
Moe said the NDP are not influential with the Trump administration, and he’d rather “take the time that we have now to engage with those that are.”
However, Beck accused Moe of ‘hiding’ and taking his cues from other premiers, instead of showing leadership.
“I’m here today to demand that they call an emergency session and get to work on building a plan for this city, for communities right across this province — one that guarantees they will protect Moose Jaw jobs.
“I’m also calling on the two Sask Party MLAs elected to represent the city to come out of hiding, to hold a public town hall on this crisis, and inform constituents here in Moose Jaw what their plan is.”
The Sask NDP have been calling for an increase in what they’ve called “nation-building” infrastructure projects such as pipelines, rail lines, and powerlines to create a more interconnected country that is more resilient to trade threats.
“Scott Moe has continuously suggested that perhaps we shouldn’t take the threat seriously,” Beck said. “I think we know now, we should have been taking these threats seriously all along, and we sure as hell should have had a plan all along.”