Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says ‘sigh of relief’ after U.S. pauses tariff threat

SASKATOON, Sask. — Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says North Americans can feel some relief but not declare victory after U.S. President Donald Trump agreed to not impose sweeping tariffs on Canada for another month.

Moe told CBC the 30-day pause is a positive step and will allow leaders to continue their engagement efforts to prevent the U.S. from imposing the tariffs.

“This is a significant change and it’s a positive change, I think, for not just each of us as Canadians, but for all of us in North America,” he said.

“Credit to the prime minister and credit to (federal Finance Minister) Dominic LeBlanc, who I know will be central to these conversations for, albeit, a 30-day reprieve. That’s better than we were an hour ago.”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced he and Trump agreed to the pause after a “good” phone call Monday afternoon.

Trudeau said on social media Canada is to beef up border security with new helicopters, technology and nearly 10,000 personnel. The country also plans to create a fentanyl czar and is to list cartels as terrorists, he said.

Moe said Trump had called for those measures and they are ones Canadians can get behind.

“This is not a win forever, but 30 days without tariffs: we should not underestimate the impact and the power of that,” he said.

“I think North Americans would breathe a sigh of relief.”

Trump had initially signed an executive order to hit Canada and Mexico with 25 per cent tariffs on goods starting Tuesday, and both countries had promised to strike back.

In a separate phone call Monday, the U.S. and Mexico also agreed to a 30-day reprieve after Mexico pledged to send 10,000 troops to the border it shares with the U.S. to fight drug trafficking.

Earlier in the day, Moe said Canadians would lose if the country becomes stuck in a trade war with the United States.

“If we find ourselves in a broad tariff war, or trade war, where everything flowing north and south is subject to tariffs, Canadians will lose that,” he said.

“We are an exporting province and we are an exporting nation, and we should not be heading in that (trade war) direction.”

Moe also said Trump’s promised tariffs would harm Americans by increasing inflation, reducing jobs and destabilizing investment.

Saskatchewan exported $26 billion worth of goods to the U.S. in 2023, with potash and oil among its major exports.

The province is the world’s largest producer of potash, which is used in fertilizers to grow crops. Moe said the U.S. receives 90 per cent of the product from Canada.

Prabha Ramaswamy, CEO of the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce, said Canada might be safe for now, but added tariffs aren’t the way to address a trade war.

She said Canada needs to diversify export markets and remove interprovincial trade barriers to grow the domestic economy — something other chamber CEOs from coast to coast have asked premiers to do.

“We need to … remain competitive so we’re never held hostage again,” she said.

Moe had not taken countermeasures against U.S. goods.

Other provinces had pledged retaliatory measures, but some have since walked back those plans. Manitoba and Ontario have said they’re putting on hold plans to remove U.S. alcohol from liquor stores and cut off American companies from provincial contracts.

Saskatchewan Opposition NDP Leader Carla Beck had said earlier Monday the Saskatchewan Party government needs to pull U.S. liquor from stores in the province.

In addition, she called for the removal of interprovincial trade barriers and for government contracts to be prioritized for local and Canadian businesses.

Beck welcomed the news of the 30-day reprieve in a statement later in the day.

“We continue to advocate for our continued economic and security partnership with the United States. Our nations have always been stronger together,” she said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 3, 2025.

— By Jeremy Simes in Regina with files from Aaron Sousa in Edmonton.

The Canadian Press