Saskatchewan Minute: Issue 114

Saskatchewan Minute - Your weekly one-minute summary of Saskatchewan politics.

📅 This Week In Saskatchewan: 📅

• Premier Scott Moe has launched a provincial advisory council on CUSMA - the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement - to ensure Saskatchewan has a direct voice in trade negotiations as formal discussions between Canada, the US, and Mexico get underway. The inaugural session of the Premier's Advisory Council on CUSMA was held Friday, with a group described as an industry-facing council of business leaders drawn from across Saskatchewan's economic sectors. The Province did not disclose the full membership, noting only that it will represent industries impacted by US tariffs. There will be separate roundtables for agriculture, manufacturing, energy, mining, and forestry are planned for the coming weeks. The US is Saskatchewan's largest trading partner, with exports valued at $23.7 billion last year - about 54% of the province's total exports, led by crude oil, potash, canola oil, and uranium. The move mirrors Prime Minister Mark Carney's own federal CUSMA advisory council, announced in late April.
  
  
• Premiers from British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba presented a message of "unity, certainty and stability" at the Western Premiers Conference in Kananaskis, with most actively urging Albertans to vote against separation in the October 19th referendum. Premier Moe said he would not dictate Alberta's choices but highlighted the benefits of provincial unity and praised Prime Minister Mark Carney for a more collaborative approach to provincial relations than his predecessor. Moe noted that Carney's style had changed noticeably and was continuing to evolve, though he said he wants faster progress on Saskatchewan's priorities. Other premiers went further, calling Alberta's potential exit from Canada a serious mistake. The conference also addressed constitutional questions raised by the Alberta referendum alongside its main economic agenda.
  
  
• Diplomats and Premier Scott Moe signalled at a Regina conference that a long-sought Canada-India free trade agreement is close to reality. Canada's High Commissioner to India, Chris Cooter, told an audience of Saskatchewan MLAs and Indian dignitaries at the Western Canada-India Leaders Summit that the agreement "will happen" - a statement that drew applause in the room. The goal is to triple bilateral trade between the two countries to $70 billion annually by 2030. Talks had stalled in 2023 after the Canadian government accused India of involvement in the assassination of a Sikh activist in Surrey, BC, but Prime Minister Mark Carney restarted the relationship with a trade mission to Mumbai and New Delhi earlier this year. Moe was part of that trip and said Saskatchewan's relationship with India has been important to the Province for years.
  
  
• Renovations are nearly complete on a new five-stall private washroom for female MLAs at the Saskatchewan Legislative Building. Women currently hold 21 of 61 seats in the Legislature, or about 30%, yet until now have only had access to a single private washroom for female MLAs, or public facilities designed for visitors. NDP MLA Kim Breckner, who gave birth to a son in December 2025, described running to the single stall while experiencing morning sickness during her pregnancy. The renovation is estimated to cost about $200,000. Clerk of the Legislative Assembly Iris Lang, who has worked in the building for 41 years, noted that the province's first female MLA was elected in 1919.
  
  
• Saskatchewan provincial parks will offer free admission on June 6th to mark National Trails Day, with more than a dozen parks hosting guided hikes and special programming. Participating parks include Buffalo Pound, Candle Lake, Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park, Douglas, Duck Mountain, Greenwater Lake, Meadow Lake, Moose Mountain, and others across the province. Parks, Culture and Sports Minister Alana Ross encouraged residents to take the opportunity to explore Saskatchewan's natural areas.

🚨 This Week’s Action Item: 🚨

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