Latest news with #SaskatchewanParty
CTV News
15 hours ago
- Business
- CTV News
‘Excess of 100 priority projects': Sask. Premier Scott Moe behind federal bill to remove project hurdles
Saskatchewan Party Leader Scott Moe speaks to the media during a scrum after a televised leaders' debate in Regina, on Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Heywood Yu Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe has given his support for federal Bill C-5. 'All projects can move forward in Saskatchewan,' Moe told reporters Wednesday during a meeting with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith in Lloydminster Alta./Sask. 'The very fact Bill C-5 has been introduced is an admission this hard work does have to happen,' Moe added. Bill C-5, which the Liberals have coined the 'One Canadian Economy' bill, proposes to recognize provincial regulations with the aim of making it easier to improve the mobility of goods and services, as well as labour. It also seeks to speed up the development of major projects deemed to be in the national interest. It's the provisions proposing to grant cabinet new powers, with the intention of centralizing approvals for new natural resource projects that are being heavily criticized as undermining Indigenous rights and environmental protections. There's widespread concern among opponents that if Bill C-5 becomes law, projects could be greenlit without adequate consultation, something prairie premiers have been calling for quite some time. 'If we have to build another pipeline with federal taxpayer dollars, that would be a failure of the process,' Premier Smith said Wednesday. 'The federal government simply cannot put so many barriers in the way that all the private sector proponents are scared out of the realm.' 'And the only way for them to come in is to build at six times the original cost. That shouldn't be the only way things get built in this country,' she added. Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith address the media during a joint press conference in Lloydminster on Wednesday, June 18. (Chad Hills/CTV News) Prime Minister Mark Carney has pushed the bill ahead in the House of Commons with the possibility it is passed before the end of the week. 'This legislation is enabling and creates the possibility of these projects,' Carney said Thursday during a press conference. 'It creates the possibility [and] a very clear process, which has at its heart consultation.' Indigenous leaders have been critical of the bill. Assembly of First Nations National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak told CTV's Power Play its passing may override environmental protections. 'Seven days is not enough time to look at a big bill like this that impacts,' she said. 'First Nations aren't about stalling anything. In fact, they want prosperity, but not at the expense of their inherent rights.' Carney believes the legislation respects Indigenous rights. 'At the heart is, not just respect for, but full and full embrace of free, prior and informed consent,' he said. 'It has to be seen in parallel with very major measures this government is taking to, not just support those partnerships, but also to finance, equity and ownership in these nation building projects. [Including] Indigenous peoples, groups and right holders.' Business experts recognized the concerns of the legislation but welcomed the move in the midst of global uncertainty. 'This is a bit of an authoritarian approach to things,' national leader of economics and policy practice, PwC Canada Michael Dobner told BNN Bloomberg. 'But we are in an economic emergency situation.' Moe says there are dozens of projects waiting in the wings for approval which are facing federal barriers the bill aims to remove. 'We don't have one or two or three projects that are a priority,' he said. 'We have literally in excess of 100 projects that are a priority for [Saskatchewan] to continue to be a wealth creator to a strong growing nation of Canada.' The House of Commons is scheduled to adjourn for the summer Friday, and the Senate is slated to rise by next Friday, June 27. Parliamentary business in both chambers would then be paused until September, barring an emergency recall. - With files from David Prisciak, Luca Coruso-Moro, Rachel Aiello and Joshua Santos
Vancouver Sun
4 days ago
- Business
- Vancouver Sun
Saskatchewan premier pitches 'port-to-port corridor' to connect northern Pacific and Arctic coasts
CALGARY — Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe is pitching the idea of a 'port-to-port corridor' that would connect energy and other goods to Canada's northern Pacific and Arctic coasts. Moe made his remarks Monday alongside Alberta Premier Danielle Smith at an event focused on both provinces' ambitions to double oil and gas production. 'I know we are not going to be entirely reliant on the U.S for that marketplace,' Moe said. 'We are going to have access to the world.' Moe, who leads the right-of-centre Saskatchewan Party government, said he likes what he's been hearing out of the Liberal federal government about making Canada an 'energy superpower' and the strongest economy in the G7. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. He admits that means going against his political stripe to some degree. 'Far be it for me to be accused of being chair of the Liberal booster club the last decade or so, but there are some comments from this Prime Minister that I think we can truly get behind,' Moe told the event hosted by energy services industry advocacy group Enserva. Prime Minister Mark Carney's government has introduced legislation that would fast track certain infrastructure projects deemed in the 'national interest' as U.S. President Donald Trump upends what until recently has been a reliable cross-border trading relationship. Carney has heard pitches from the premiers about what projects they think should be chosen, but has not said which have made the cut. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith wants a bitumen pipeline to be the 'anchor tenant' of a corridor to the Port of Prince Rupert, B.C., enabling exports to Asia above and beyond what the operating Trans Mountain pipeline can ship from the Vancouver area. She has said that project should be built in tandem with another one she'd like to see considered in the national interest: the Pathways proposal to capture and sequester carbon emissions from Alberta's biggest oilsands producers. Smith and Moe also voiced support for a pipeline to the Port of Churchill, Man., which would enable exports to Europe via Hudson Bay. Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew has been keen on the idea, too. 'One thing the prime minister seems to want is a project and a proponent,' Smith said. 'So we are working to get a proponent or a consortium to put a project on the table, and then we're going to test out this two year timeline that he has.' Smith said Carney has asked conservative premiers to reach out to people they know in the federal Conservatives to help the Liberals' project approval bill pass in the minority Parliament. Despite being encouraged by the new tone in Ottawa, Smith and Moe said they both want the repeal of numerous federal environmental policies that they say have stymied resource investment. 'Policies do matter and we need a significant policy shift and we need it very quickly,' Moe said. The event coincided with the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alta., where leaders from the United States, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom and Italy, as well as the European Union, are meeting. The confab of world leaders puts Alberta on the map at a time when the approach to energy security is being 'recalibrated,' Smith said. 'I know that, especially with the world turmoil, the energy security needs of our international partners has never been more important. And I think this really does drive a focus about how Alberta can be the solution.' Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
Hamilton Spectator
4 days ago
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Saskatchewan premier pitches ‘port-to-port corridor' for energy and other exports
CALGARY - Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe is pitching the idea of a 'port-to-port corridor' that would connect energy and other goods to Canada's northern Pacific and Arctic coasts. Moe made his remarks Monday alongside Alberta Premier Danielle Smith at an event focused on both provinces' ambitions to double oil and gas production. 'I know we are not going to be entirely reliant on the U.S for that marketplace,' Moe said. 'We are going to have access to the world.' Moe, who leads the right-of-centre Saskatchewan Party government, said he likes what he's been hearing out of the Liberal federal government about making Canada an 'energy superpower' and the strongest economy in the G7. He admits that means going against his political stripe to some degree. 'Far be it for me to be accused of being chair of the Liberal booster club the last decade or so, but there are some comments from this Prime Minister that I think we can truly get behind,' Moe told the event hosted by energy services industry advocacy group Enserva. Prime Minister Mark Carney's government has introduced legislation that would fast track certain infrastructure projects deemed in the 'national interest' as U.S. President Donald Trump upends what until recently has been a reliable cross-border trading relationship. Carney has heard pitches from the premiers about what projects they think should be chosen, but has not said which have made the cut. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith wants a bitumen pipeline to be the 'anchor tenant' of a corridor to the Port of Prince Rupert, B.C., enabling exports to Asia above and beyond what the operating Trans Mountain pipeline can ship from the Vancouver area. She has said that project should be built in tandem with another one she'd like to see considered in the national interest: the Pathways proposal to capture and sequester carbon emissions from Alberta's biggest oilsands producers. Smith and Moe also voiced support for a pipeline to the Port of Churchill, Man., which would enable exports to Europe via Hudson Bay. Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew has been keen on the idea, too. 'One thing the prime minister seems to want is a project and a proponent,' Smith said. 'So we are working to get a proponent or a consortium to put a project on the table, and then we're going to test out this two year timeline that he has.' Smith said Carney has asked conservative premiers to reach out to people they know in the federal Conservatives to help the Liberals' project approval bill pass in the minority Parliament. Despite being encouraged by the new tone in Ottawa, Smith and Moe said they both want the repeal of numerous federal environmental policies that they say have stymied resource investment. 'Policies do matter and we need a significant policy shift and we need it very quickly,' Moe said. The event coincided with the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alta., where leaders from the United States, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom and Italy, as well as the European Union, are meeting. The confab of world leaders puts Alberta on the map at a time when the approach to energy security is being 'recalibrated,' Smith said. 'I know that, especially with the world turmoil, the energy security needs of our international partners has never been more important. And I think this really does drive a focus about how Alberta can be the solution.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 16, 2025.
CBC
7 days ago
- Health
- CBC
Regina Urgent Care Centre to close early Saturday
Social Sharing Regina's only urgent care centre will close its doors five and a half hours early Saturday, at 4 p.m. CST. The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) announced the change in hours on Friday, saying the centre's regular 9:30 p.m. close time will resume on Sunday. The province did not provide a reason for the reduced hours in its initial announcement. It asked people to go to Regina General Hospital or Pasqua Hospital if they experience a medical emergency during the centre's early closure. The care centre acts as an alternative to hospital emergency rooms, treating non-life-threatening illnesses and injuries, and providing mental health support. When it opened in July 2024, it was Saskatchewan's first urgent care centre. The government said the centre would transition to a 24/7 model by fall, but that promise has yet to be fulfilled. In response to this weekend's reduced hours, the Opposition NDP called for the Saskatchewan Party to better fund health care and properly staff the Regina Care Centre. "The Sask. Party says it's building more urgent care centres, but it can't even staff the centre that is already open," an NDP statement said. The centre previously temporarily reduced its hours in December 2024.
Calgary Herald
03-06-2025
- Politics
- Calgary Herald
Chris Selley: Alberta NDP's divorce from the federal party trainwreck is better for everyone
Article content Mark Carney cuts the ultimate Laurentian-elite figure, but he did grow up in Edmonton, which is a bit risqué from a Liberal standpoint. Before Carney, the party's leaders had grown up (in this order) in Montreal, Toronto, Quebec City, Ottawa, Shawinigan, Ottawa, Montreal, Hamilton … you get the picture. Article content The federal NDP have been stuck in Central Canada mode for nearly as long: Jagmeet Singh is from Toronto; his predecessor Tom Mulcair is from Montreal, and for all his perspicacity never really made much sense as party leader; Layton before that cut his political teeth in Toronto, yet somehow his upbringing in the arch-anglophone Montreal suburb of Hudson played to his advantage in francophone Quebec. That's not something the party will ever be able to replicate. No one is quite sure how it happened the first time. Article content It's an interesting fact that only one person, the little-remembered John Thompson, has ever served both as a provincial premier (Nova Scotia) and as prime minister (he was Canada's fourth, dying in office quite spectacularly of a heart attack at Windsor Castle in 1894). But there's no reason a premier couldn't or shouldn't become PM, and the NDP — more than any other nationwide party, probably — should want to break that streak. Article content Article content Say what you will about British Columbia NDP premier David Eby, or former Alberta NDP premier Rachel Notley or her successor Naheed Nenshi, or Saskatchewan opposition leader Carla Beck (whose NDP hold 27 seats to the Saskatchewan Party's 34), or Manitoba NDP Premier Wab Kinew, but they're all heavy hitters compared to the low-energy types that find themselves leading the Ontario and federal parties. Article content There is clearly an expectation of winning in certain provincial capitals that does not exist among New Democrats at Queen's Park or on Parliament Hill — which is especially odd considering the provincial and federal parties so freely trade strategists and staffers. To pick just one prominent example: Montreal-born-and-bred Brian Topp, who ran for the party leadership against Mulcair after Layton's death, was Notley's chief of staff in Edmonton, and had previously been Saskatchewan NDP Premier Roy Romanow's deputy chief of staff in Regina. Article content Article content Lately he has been reduced to crowing about how great the federal NDP's supply-and-confidence deal was with the Trudeau Liberals. It's just weird. Maybe what the party needs is a proper, public civil war. Article content In any event, if federal New Democrats want to be relevant again other than mathematically — never mind want to govern — they would do well to stop pretending they have anything much in common with their successful provincial comrades in Victoria, Edmonton, Regina and Winnipeg. And their comrades in those provincial capitals would do well to separate themselves from decades of wretched failure by the federal party — even if only symbolically. They're just not playing in the same league. In practice, they simply aren't the single party they claim to be.
