Moe backs Ottawa as 50 per cent U.S. tariffs hit Canadian goods

Premier says Washington broke CUSMA, supports dollar-for-dollar response’

By Your Southwest Media Group

REGINA - Premier Scott Moe says the United States is violating the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement and that Saskatchewan will stand behind the federal government's decision to hit back.

The statement came after trade talks between Ottawa and Washington collapsed late Friday night, minutes before a deadline. New American tariffs of 50 per cent on a range of Canadian goods took effect at midnight.

"As of today, the United States is violating the CUSMA trade deal," Moe said in a written statement.

He called the new tariffs a clear violation of the agreement and said they show the current U.S. administration cannot be trusted to honour the deals it signs.

Moe said Canada's premiers had all backed the federal government through the negotiations, and that a deal was within reach. That deal would have prevented the new tariffs and rolled back some of the existing ones. According to Moe, late changes from American negotiators broke it.

"Last minute changes by US negotiators undermined the fairness and reliability of the deal," he said.

The Premier singled out one demand in particular. Saskatchewan will not accept any American attempt to dictate who Canada trades with.

"Decisions about who Canada trades with must be made by Canada," Moe said.

That point matters here. Saskatchewan sends canola, pulses, potash, uranium and grain around the world, and Moe said the province is diversifying its trade faster than any other. He said that work will not be compromised.

On the federal response, Moe was direct. He said Prime Minister Mark Carney made the right call in walking away, and that Saskatchewan supports dollar-for-dollar counter-tariffs on targeted American products.

Carney announced Saturday that Canada's retaliatory tariffs will take effect Sept. 8. He called the American move a miscalculation.

The new American tariffs cover roughly US$20 billion in Canadian goods, including building materials, cement, plywood, liquor, some clothing and hockey sticks. They were originally scheduled for Aug. 19, then delayed three days while negotiators kept working.

Moe did not soften the cost. He said all tariffs hurt real businesses and kill real jobs on both sides of the border, and drive up the cost of living for families. That, he said, is why governments should keep working to avoid, reduce and remove them.

"Let's be clear. This won't be easy," he said.

Earlier this week, before talks broke down, Moe estimated about five per cent of Saskatchewan's economy is exposed to the current trade dispute. He said that figure would climb to roughly six per cent if the new tariffs went ahead.

Agriculture manufacturing is a specific worry. Moe has said repeatedly that Saskatchewan-built equipment and the province's agricultural supply chain are vulnerable to further American action, and many producers here buy inputs and machinery that cross the border more than once before reaching the yard.

Moe closed his statement with a single line. Saskatchewan supports Canada's response.

What happens next is uncertain. CUSMA is due for review, and Moe said last month he is not confident an agreement will be reached quickly. For now, farmers and businesses in west central Saskatchewan face another harvest under a trade relationship that changes week to week.