Both the federal and provincial governments appeared open to collaboration late this year, but Moe remains firm over having jurisdiction over natural resources.
The Leader-Post is looking back on some of the stories that had the most impact on us this past year. Today’s story of the year: After years of heavy tension, the relationship between the Saskatchewan and federal governments seemed to start turning a corner in 2022.
With their relationship going from “deteriorating” to “deteriorated” over the past year, one may begin to wonder if Saskatchewan and Ottawa now have no choice but to start the repair work.
Make no mistake, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier Scott Moe won’t be exchanging a bear hug anytime soon, but after years of tension, it appears both sides are at least willing to talk about collaborating over environmental policy.
That became evident in November when federal Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson visited the province to attend the opening of Cowessess First Nation’s Awasis solar project.
In return, Moe agreed the two levels of government can come together on environmental policies, as they’ve done with the childcare agreement.
“We’re all Canadian first,” he told reporters in November. “We need to come back together as Canadians, to support one another and really put forward, and reinvent the great nation I believe we once were and can still be.”
In a year-end interview with the Leader-Post in December, Moe said regionalism hasn’t been productive for Canadian unity. He even acknowledged some of his own comments have not been helpful.
Similarly, Wilkinson said in November that rhetoric on both sides needs to cool.
“And that’s not trying to take a run at the province; that’s the federal government too,” he told reporters. “We have to take ownership of some of that too and look at how we can actually get back to a place where we can have a better conversation.”
Some of the first signs of collaboration came weeks after Wilkinson’s visit.
Moe acknowledged he has to follow certain parameters on where he can spend those dollars. He’ll also follow the federal government’s pricing schedule.
Despite this progress, he has still made it clear he is drawing a line with Ottawa when it comes to provincial jurisdiction.
This year, he raised concerns over Health Canada staff testing water on what was believed to be private land, blamed energy policies for Evraz layoffs and continues to call on Ottawa to axe the carbon tax on fuel.
“There are areas where the relationship between the federal government and I would say the provincial government, as well as a number of other industries and organizations … where that relationship unfortunately has deteriorated and deteriorated to a level where it shouldn’t be,” he said in the interview.
But as he talks about issues he has with the federal government, he also wants provinces to celebrate one another.
That change in tone appears markedly different to 2021.
He had come out losing his carbon tax battle after the Supreme Court, in a split decision, ruled in favour of the federal government.
It prompted him to think about forging “our own path without being subject to the punitive and ineffective carbon tax imposed by Prime Minister Trudeau and the federal government.”
That line, however, was notably absent from the Saskatchewan First Act, which doesn’t expand jurisdictional powers but instead aims to identify the cost of federal harms. The act could be used as a legal tool should Saskatchewan ever need it.
Trudeau, for his part, was also campaigning during an election in 2021. At one point, he took aim at Moe’s handling of COVID-19.
Now, the message from the federal government has been one of trying to work with the western provinces, even if neighbouring Alberta takes a harsher line than Moe.
“It’s all well and good for the province to actually say that the provincial jurisdiction is provincial jurisdiction,” Wilkinson said.
“But at the end of the day, I think that the federation works best when we work together and I intend to continue to work collaboratively with my colleagues here in Saskatchewan.”
While Trudeau has said he doesn’t want to pick a fight with the provinces, he still remains concerned about the impact the bills may have on treaty rights.
That relationship with First Nations, it seems, is yet another he’ll likely need to work on as he heads into the new year.
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