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In the coming fiscal year, the Government of Saskatchewan is expected to spend more than $850,000 on consultants to support the province’s trade efforts, including in countries where the province has already established trade offices.
Two orders in council were signed at the end of February, one of which authorized a $450,000 USD payment to Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP for consulting services. This appears to be the continuation of a consulting contract from the current fiscal year for $450,000 USD, which is about $615,000 CAD at the current exchange rate.
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The Government of Saskatchewan said the firm provides advocacy and support services for the province’s dealings with the U.S. federal government. In a statement, the government said the firm secured meetings and planned missions for Premier Scott Moe and provincial ministers.
The other order authorized $240,000 for Harper & Associates, a global consulting firm led by former Prime Minister Stephen Harper. The province has been working with that firm since at least 2019.
Both agreements were for the 2026-2027 fiscal year.
The government said Harper & Associates will provide “guidance, support and advocacy” for Saskatchewan in India, China and the Middle East.
“They deliver specialized expertise in the agri-food, mining, energy and technology sectors. Beyond that, they provide the province with access to key decision-makers, which is imperative as the international landscape continues to shift,” read the statement.
The provincial government has international trade offices already established in China, India and the United Arab Emirates.
“Led by a team with considerable international experience, these offices will play a critical role in helping us strengthen trade relationships, support Saskatchewan businesses, grow our exports and attract new investment into our province,” then-Trade and Export Development Minister Jeremy Harrison said in a news release about the opening of the India office in December of 2020.
Trade and Export Development Minister Warren Kaeding said the offices are doing a “phenomenal” job in engaging and reaching stakeholders and governments in these countries, and the consultants are being hired to supplement that work.
“(Harper & Associates) is able to get us high-level meetings with officials that we need to get to ultimately get our message to the top,” said Kaeding.
Asked whether the offices are doing enough, with consultants also being hired for those markets, Kaeding said the government’s overseas trade offices are doing an incredible job. He pointed to China and India, which are the second- and third-largest export markets for Saskatchewan.
“Any help that we can get to enhance trade in our top three marketplaces, I think, is very well accepted by both industry as well as the response that we get from our trade offices,” said Kaeding.
In the 2024-25 fiscal year, the province budgeted $9.4 million for the operation of its nine international trade offices.
