Latest news with #ScottMoe
CTV News
9 hours ago
- Business
- CTV News
Saskatchewan premier shares thoughts on Bill C-5
Regina Watch WATCH: Sask. Premier Scott Moe has given his support for federal Bill C-5, also coined 'One Canadian Economy.' Donovan Maess has the details.
CTV News
10 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
CBC
a day ago
- Business
- CBC
Moe, Smith call for federal support of energy projects, end to some industry regulations
Social Sharing The premiers of Saskatchewan and Alberta met Wednesday in Lloydminster — a city that straddles their shared boundary — for a joint caucus meeting. As they've done in the past, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe and Alberta's Danielle Smith called for federal support for energy projects and the abandonment of some industry regulations — this time seated side-by-side. Their demands are outlined in a joint statement released after Wednesday's meeting. Those include an end to federal interference in the development of provincial resources. "The national self-sabotage that has happened over the last ten years has to end," Smith said. Moe said this moment is a chance for Canada to take its place as an energy superpower. "This is an opportunity that I would say is unlike any opportunity that I've seen in my lifetime for each of us as Canadians. And I'm, you know, very hopeful and excited on where this conversation will go in the next number of months," he said. Moe said he is optimistic about Prime Minister Mark Carney's nation building plans. Smith said she too is hopeful, but wants the two provinces to have more of a say. The premiers want the feds to eliminate the proposed oil and gas emissions cap and repeal any federal law regulating industrial carbon emissions, plastics or the commercial free speech of energy companies. "If I understand where the Prime Minister is attempting to go, if he very soon is able to announce a project list that has 20 or more substantial projects on it that include mining projects and transmission projects and power projects and pipeline projects, I think that would send a pretty big message to the world about the direction that we're going," Smith said. But Alberta's premier said legislation should also encourage private sectors to invest in big energy projects. Moe shares that view. "Policies certainly matter. And the policies are much larger than a single pipeline that might have to be built," he said. Along with oil and gas pipeline access, the two premiers are also demanding the exploration of export potential in critical minerals, agriculture, and forestry product. Moe says Canada's top priority should be building an energy corridor that connects the northwest coast to the coast of Hudson Bay. "A port-to-port corridor in Western Canada connecting northwestern Pacific ports to the Hudson Bay would provide the opportunity for us to have access to Asian [and] European markets for years into the future, for generations into the future," Moe said. Concerns with Bill C-5 The joint press conference comes after the Liberals passed a closure motion Monday morning to speed through study and debate of Bill C-5 by week's end. Multiple MPs and premiers were critical of the swift timeline. Government House leader Steven MacKinnon defended the bill's timeline, arguing that the government has public buy-in since the bill delivers on major campaign promises from the recent election. "We just had the ultimate democratic test, and you know what we heard?" he said. "Get this country moving. We need a response to the threats coming from down south." The legislation would give the federal cabinet the ability to set aside various statutes to push forward approvals for a small number of major industrial products, such as mines, pipelines and ports, if the government deems them to be in the national interest. The government expects to pass the bill by the end of Friday. Moe and Smith said if Prime Minister Mark Carney wants Canada to have the strongest G7 economy, he needs to repeal policies like the West Coast tanker ban and net-zero electricity regulations.
Edmonton Journal
a day ago
- Politics
- Edmonton Journal
Former Saskatchewan premier Brad Wall can repair relations with India, say premiers
Article content OTTAWA — Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe agree that Moe's predecessor Brad Wall is the right man to repair Canada-India relations, amidst news that Canada will soon be sending a new high commissioner to New Delhi. 'I'd be supportive of that,' said Smith when asked on Wednesday about the prospect of Wall becoming Canada's next high commissioner to India.
National Post
a day ago
- Business
- National Post
Former Saskatchewan premier Brad Wall can repair relations with India, say premiers
OTTAWA — Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe agree that Moe's predecessor Brad Wall is the right man to repair Canada-India relations, amidst news that Canada will soon be sending a new high commissioner to New Delhi. Article content 'I'd be supportive of that,' said Smith when asked on Wednesday about the prospect of Wall becoming Canada's next high commissioner to India. Article content Article content 'I think that Saskatchewan has done incredibly impressive work on expanding its footprint internationally through its trade offices, in particular India,' she added. Article content Moe was quick to echo Smith's sentiments, hinting that Wall could possibly aim even higher than being Canada's envoy to the emerging Asian superpower. Article content 'I would also be a proponent for (Wall) to be not only high commissioner to India but essentially the face and the voice for many of Canada's foreign relations,' said Moe. Article content 'We'll see what his answer is to that,' Moe joked. The two Prairie premiers were speaking at a joint press conference in Lloydminister, Sask., after a joint caucus meeting. Article content Moe praised Wall for building inroads to India and other emerging markets during his tenure as Saskatchewan's premier, between 2007 and 2018. Article content 'Why I would be a proponent of (Wall's) to be high commissioner to India is because of the effort and focus that he provided … to those province to nation relations, and province to industry relations in not just India but in many countries around the world,' said Moe. Article content Moe also commended Prime Minister Mark Carney for taking steps to mend Canada's strained bilateral relationship with India. Article content Wall became the province's first premier to visit India in 2011 and led a second trade mission in 2014. Article content Saskatchewan's exports to India were valued at $1.3 billion in 2023, a 52 per cent jump from the midpoint of Wall's tenure in 2013. Article content The province now produces more than a quarter of Canada's total exports to India, while being home to just three per cent of the country's population. Article content It is the top supplier globally of lentils and potash to India. Article content Carney and Indian counterpart Narendra Modi jointly announced at this week's G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alta., that they'd be designating new high commissioners for the first time since 2023, when the murder of Canadian Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar caused a rupture in bilateral relations.
