Premier Scott Moe fearful of potential energy crisis

Premier Scott Moe still has the support of the Saskatchewan Party after gaining more than 80 per cent support at a leadership review held at its convention at TCU Place in Saskatoon on Saturday.

The exact number isn’t shared by the party unless it’s less than 80 per cent. Moe received the solid endorsement despite his approval rating dropping amid the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Opposition NDP Leader Ryan Meili said the vote shows the problem isn’t just Moe, it’s the Sask. Party.

Moe joined the Roy Green Show on Sunday to discuss some of the major talking points that were delivered at the convention, specifically the emissions cap that was placed on the oil sector by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

“This is a cap that’s going to achieve two things: One, higher prices for energy for all Canadians at fuel pumps. And, two, it’s going to actually increase global greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the amount of energy that’s produced in Canada,” said Moe.

Moe said that means Canadians will start purchasing oil from other countries, and that’s going to cost people much more than what it would to produce it in Canada.

Saskatchewan already has one of the best-producing oil sectors in the entire world, according to the premier. Moe was disappointed in how Trudeau delivered his presentation at the COP-26 global summit in Scotland.

“(Trudeau) should be telling them that if everyone else in the world produced their energy in the same way that we did here in Saskatchewan, global emissions and oil production would drop by 25 per cent overnight,” Moe said at the convention.

As the connection between the provincial and federal governments grows further apart, the premier says he is fearful of an energy crisis in the near future for Canadians.

“If we continue to cap and restrict the energy that we actually use, we will be vulnerable to the stipulations that the other countries will have,” Moe said.