Moe says he’ll suggest increasing border security at tariff meeting

Canada’s premiers and the Prime Minister Justin Trudeau are expected to come together for a meeting on Wednesday to discuss tariffs, and Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe is ready.

The meeting was set in order to discuss the possible 25 per cent tariff on Canadian and Mexican goods heading into the U.S., which president-elect Donald Trump posted about on social media Monday night.

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Moe said on Tuesday the effects of such a tariff would be significant, and no job or industry would be untouched. He added that the Council of the Federation, the working group of Canada’s premiers, is already working together on the issue. The premier also said he planned to make some suggestions to the prime minister.

“One of the things that I’ll suggest to the prime minister is, increase the border security initiatives that we have through the CBSA, and maybe even bring the CBSA under an arm of the military,” said Moe.

The premier said he thinks all Canadians would support that move, because “we don’t want drugs inflowing or outflowing across our borders.”

Moe said he doesn’t agree with Trump’s plan to use tariffs to deal with a border issue, calling it “unjustified.”

“However, when our largest trading partner wants to engage in a discussion on border security, I would suggest that we engage in that discussion,” added Moe.

Under the first Trump administration, Moe said there was talk about steel tariffs and uranium tariffs, but a blanket tariff like the measure Trump is now proposing would be different.

“President-elect Trump has put out some of what his intentions are, but we’re going to have to find a way to work through it, and that’s what we’re going to do,” said the premier.

Moe said Saskatchewan has worked to diversify its trading partners in recent years, and may be among the least reliant on the U.S. among Canadian provinces, but he noted that Saskatchewan still sends roughly 60 per cent of its exports to the U.S.

Saskatchewan NDP Leader Carla Beck agreed with Moe’s assessment that a 25 per cent tariff would be devastating.

“I think this has to be a top priority for not only the Canadian government, but for provincial governments; governments right across this country,” she said.

Beck called the proposed tariff a very real and significant threat, and said whatever is done to deal with this can’t be a one-time measures.

“This has to be all hands on deck. This has to be a high, high priority, because the impact of a 25 per cent tariff would be devastating,” said Beck.