Moe says letter to prime minister an ‘opportunity’ not an ultimatum

Premier Scott Moe sees his priorities, delivered in a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney, as an opportunity more than an ultimatum.

“That’s why there’s not a date on this – ‘do these things by this date or this will happen,’” said Moe.

He said the actions in the letter are things the federal government can, should and needs to do to reset its relationship with Saskatchewan after a decade-long difficult relationship with the last prime minister.

Moe said the timeline he has in mind for the actions is ‘as soon as possible’, that there’s no reason they can’t be acted on sooner rather than later.

“Some of them require some work and we’re willing to do and provide some of that work and those details from Saskatchewan’s perspective … some won’t happen overnight, some require a commitment and some work over time,” he explained.

I have written to PM @MarkJCarney outlining our “Strong Saskatchewan, Strong Canada Plan”  – 10 key policy changes the federal government must make to reset Ottawa’s relationship with Saskatchewan.

The PM has the ability to move forward on all 10 of these items quickly, which… pic.twitter.com/wLsNlls5pV

— Scott Moe (@PremierScottMoe) May 14, 2025

This isn’t the first time Moe has talked about these things with Carney, he said he brought them up in a phone conversation between the two shortly after the federal election.

Moe said the conversations he’s had so far with Carney and some of the new ministers have been refreshingly positive on the actions proposed.

“We have to give this an opportunity to succeed, we have to ensure that we are providing every opportunity for Saskatchewan to succeed,” said Moe.

He said that’s part of his job as premier.

“The fact is, is that we have to deal with the prime minister and we should be trying to advance what Saskatchewan’s goals and interests are,” he said.

What Moe is bringing to the table is a change in tone, which he said has already started in reference to the federal government and is significant. And he said he’s going to make every effort to work with the federal government on these policies.

“As we get into each of these, there will be gives and takes, and there will be conversations that need to happen and we’ll find our way through those as we discuss each of these topics,” said Moe.

“I don’t have a list of ‘Saskatchewan will do this, this’ and that’s our ultimatum. What I will say is that we want to discuss each of these topics and many more, but this is a starting point for us and the federal government.”

If they’re not able to work together, Moe said they’ll have to make some decisions as they go through things, though he didn’t elaborate on what those decisions might be.

Sask. Opposition NDP Leader Carla Beck said there were a number of points in Moe’s letter that she agreed with, but that there were things missing, like changes to equalization and increased investment for health care and child care.

At a high level, Beck said there wasn’t a lot in the letter she disagreed with.

“There’s a lot of details that I would like to dig into. We’ll continue to be looking for those opportunities and bringing people in who need to be at the table when we’re looking to get infrastructure built and make good on the moment that’s in front of us,” said Beck.

She said letters on paper aren’t going to get things done though, that there needs to be a willingness to be at the table and to work through the issues.

Sask. NDP Leader Carla Beck. May 15, 2025 (Lisa Schick/980 CJME)

NDP separation bill

Also on Thursday morning, the NDP’s last hope for a vote on Beck’s bill to make a separation plebiscite harder, were dashed.

All the week, the government members blocked the NDP’s attempts to bring the bill forward for a vote, including Thursday, and it died on the order paper when the session ended.

“After today we’re not going to be in that house anymore, but that doesn’t mean these questions go away,” said Beck.

She had asked Moe in Question Period earlier in the week whether he would allow a free vote from his members on the bill, and he said yes, but Thursday morning said he wouldn’t allow it to get to the floor for a vote.

“I don’t understand where the guidance has come to double what is already a very onerous criteria in the way of a plebiscite or a referendum moving forward,” said Moe about the bill, which would double the number of petition signatures needed to trigger a vote on separation only.

Moe believes the current 15 per cent threshold in legislation is already high, and his government isn’t looking to take away Saskatchewan’s people voices. He said that conversation has already been playing out in Alberta, where the premier recently significantly reduced the threshold for a vote.

“We have no plans or haven’t had discussions with respect to that,” said Moe.

He said his government might have a look at some of the recommendations make by the Chief Electoral Officer in a 2019 report and could move on those. In the report Dr. Michael Boda said the 15 per cent threshold was high, and didn’t propose reintroducing that part of the legislation which allows citizens to enforce a non-binding vote, saying it’s never been used in the, at that time, 28 years of the legislation. He said it would be proposed that any requirement for a referendum would only be brought about through an order from the lieutenant governor.

Beck said with how close Saskatchewan and Alberta are, and the talk that’s coming from the province’s western neighbour, Moe needs to be clearer.

Moe has said previously that he doesn’t support separation from Canada, but Beck said that isn’t good enough. She said, with her bill, there was a chance for Moe to let every one of his MLAs show their opinion on separation.

“Have every member stand up and signal clearly to not only the people of this province, but to investors, send that signal of stability, put it to bed right now,” she explained.

Beck said the embers of separatism have been flaring in Saskatchewan, and Moe could have doused them with a free vote.

“But instead he seems more interested in placating those who want to burn the house down, I think it’s irresponsible,” she said.

The opposition leader said she thinks he’s scared of making people angry within his party’s tent and, possibly, his caucus.