Saskatchewan Minute: Issue 75

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

📅 This Week In Saskatchewan: 📅

• Premier Scott Moe has urged the federal government to remove Canada’s 100% tariff on Chinese electric vehicles, citing the need to improve trade relations with Beijing. (Thanks for your help in advocating for this!!) He emphasized, however, that any decision must consider Canada’s relationship with the United States, the largest importer of Canadian canola. China has imposed tariffs of up to 76% on Canadian canola seed, oil, and meal, widely seen as a response to Canada’s EV tariffs. Moe’s comments come ahead of his trade mission to China, which he hopes will include meetings with Chinese officials and possibly federal ministers. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has also called for scrapping the EV tariff to help normalize trade with China while keeping US relations intact. Opposition NDP leader Carla Beck agreed that removing EV tariffs should be considered if it helps secure China’s removal of duties on Canadian canola products.
  
  
• Saskatchewan is set to add more than 500 new child-care spaces across post-secondary campuses, including 450 at Saskatchewan Polytechnic locations and 90 at Northlands College. The provincial and federal governments are investing $10.8 million to establish these centers, which will serve children, students, faculty, and the broader community while also functioning as training sites for early childhood education students. Each facility is expected to employ 20-25 staff, some of whom may be completing their ECE training, with opportunities for part-time work for full-time students. 30% of the spaces will be reserved for children with disabilities or families facing barriers to childcare access. Although the centers are planned to open “as soon as possible,” a specific timeline has not been provided. Meanwhile, Saskatchewan has not yet signed an extension to the federally funded $10-a-day childcare program, which is set to expire in March 2026. The provincial government is reviewing federal agreements before committing. 
  
  
• Saskatchewan has received 1,136 additional nominations from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, raising the Province’s total allocation under the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) to 4,761 for 2025. Numbers still remain well below historical levels. Priority will continue to be given to healthcare, agriculture, and skilled trades, while up to 25% of nominations are allocated to sectors such as trucking, accommodations, food services, and retail. The Province restructured the nominee program in March with stricter criteria, partly in response to Ottawa cutting Saskatchewan’s allocations by half. Under the new rules, some industries like spas, salons, and pet care are no longer eligible, and 75% of nominees must already be in Canada as temporary residents. The Ministry of Immigration emphasized that, while the additional spaces support employers, they do not fully offset the impact of federal cuts. The changes aim to address labour shortages in critical sectors while maintaining tighter controls over nominations.
  
  
• Saskatchewan is continuing its Crown grazing lease rental reduction program for a third season to help producers affected by ongoing drought, offering reduced rent for those who cut grazing by at least 20%. The initiative has support from several agricultural organizations, including the Saskatchewan Cattle Association, which praised the government for acknowledging challenges faced by producers. The Province also recently increased AgriStability compensation rates by 10% for 2025 in response to drought and trade pressures. However, the NDP argues that these measures are insufficient, calling for a drought action committee, a 10-year tax deferral for livestock producers forced to sell breeding stock, and improvements to crop insurance. Several rural municipalities in southwest Saskatchewan have declared states of emergency, with ranchers warning that some producers may go out of business. 
  
  
• The Saskatchewan NDP is challenging the Sask Party’s claim that the province is carbon tax-free, pointing to a $466.9-million line item for the Output-Based Performance Standards (OBPS) in the first-quarter financial update. NDP MLA Aleana Young argues this suggests either the government is planning to reinstate the tax or is inflating the budget with carbon tax revenue. Premier Scott Moe and Finance Minister Jim Reiter maintain that the province has paused cash collection under OBPS and removed federal carbon tax charges from SaskPower bills, providing financial relief to residents and businesses. The Province says the OBPS line item remains for accounting purposes only and that future forecasting will be updated once a final decision on the program is made. Reiter added that discussions with Ottawa continue to seek permanent removal of the federal industrial carbon tax. 

🚨 This Week’s Action Item: 🚨

Saskatchewan Health issued a public alert in Saskatoon following a spike in overdose cases. Between August 17th and 26th, the fire department responded to 84 suspected overdoses.

Saskatchewan has alluded to potentially introducing involuntary drug treatment for people with addictions, allowing police, family, or doctors to request mandatory treatment if someone is deemed a danger to themselves or others. 

Do you think involuntary drug treatment is a good idea? Let us know!

🪙 This Week’s Sponsor: 🪙

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