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A4 O THE GLOBE AND MAIL| WEDNESDAY,NOVEMBER13,

[TORONTO]

Cenotaph

vandalized

Agraffiti-cleaningspecialistsprays

acenotaphthathadbeen

vandalizedearlieronTuesday

inToronto.ConstableAlexLi

oftheTorontopolicesaysofficers

werecalledtotheareainthe

morning,lessthan24hoursafter

hundredsgatherednearbyfor

aRemembranceDayceremony

FRANKGUNN/THECANADIANPRESS

S

askatchewan Premier Scott Moe
came to tell the country he’s an-
gry. He’s mad as hell, and he’s go-
ing to open trade offices.
Stay tuned, Mr. Moe said after meeting
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tues-
day, because Saskatchewan is so annoy-
ed at Ottawa it is going to announce steps
to increase its autonomy, including send-
ing trade officers to foreign countries.
That’s where we are now. Mr. Moe, like
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney, is coming
up with ways to do things Ottawa does,
as though that means striking a blow for
the cause. Mr. Kenney has floated ideas
such as creating an Alberta tax agency or
replacing the Mounties with Alberta Pro-
vincial Police.
It is about expressing anger, and Mr.
Moe came to Ottawa for that purpose.
The Premier demanded that Mr. Tru-
deau swallow himself whole, by putting
the federal carbon tax on hold. He also
called for the federalgovernment to re-
vamp equalization payments. And then
he walked out to say that the Prime Min-
ister wasn’t willing to commit to any-
thing. So he’s going to increase Saskatch-
ewan’s autonomy.
There’s a moment here that folks in all
provinces should stop to look at. It is
both potentially important for the future
of Confederation and no solution at all to
the problem that is frustrating people in
Alberta and Saskatchewan.
To vent at a frustration with the way
the federation is working now, Mr. Ken-
ney and Mr. Moe are vowing withdrawal
from Canadian institutions and arrange-
ments. But none of that will make it eas-
ier to get oil to markets.
Leave aside the two provinces’ de-
mands for a revamp of equalization pay-
ments and related programs. That won’t
solve Alberta’s and Saskatchewan’s ener-
gy-industry problem either, but both
Premiers essentially say that demand is
leverage, a way of making a point by
making a threat that they will oppose
equalization if the rest of the country
doesn’t address the oil patch’s struggles.

Those other autonomist, provincial-

power steps don’t even make that kind of

point.

The rest of the country isn’t going to

worry if Saskatchewan opens trade mis-

sions in foreign countries. Several prov-

inces already have them.

Mr. Moe said he’s thinking of other

things, too. Maybe he’s taking inspira-

tion from Mr. Kenney’s ideas about as-

serting provincial autonomy. And most

of them are just as irrelevant to the cur-

rent issue.

Alberta isn’t going to advance pipe-

lines, or its provincial power, by creating

its own revenue agency. Quebec has its

own tax collectors, and let there be no

doubt, that is not the source of Québé-

cois pride. Replacing Mounties with Al-

berta Provincial Police will not change

Alberta-Ottawa dynamics over the

thorny issue of addressing emissions in a

resource economy.

Maybe, over time, that kind of autono-

mist trend will lead to a looser federa-

tion. Perhaps sooner: If Mr. Kenney and

Mr. Moe are serious about provincial au-

tonomy, they’ll find an ally in Quebec

Premier François Legault.

Maybe that’s a satisfying thought for

frustrated Westerners. It just won’t pro-

vide a satisfying solution. It won’t lead to

pipelines or investment.

The demands for an immediate re-

vamp of equalization aren’t likely to pro-

duce satisfaction, either.

But Mr. Trudeau isn’t the only one

who won’t be eager to commit to an un-

specified reform – just about every other

premier would have qualms. A spokes-

man for Conservative Leader Andrew

Scheer, whose party holds every federal

seat in Saskatchewan, said only that Mr.

Scheer looks forward to premiers’ pro-

posals for making the system fairer.

And Mr. Moe knew Mr. Trudeau was

never going to put a complete hold on

carbon taxes. It’s his signature policy,

and the way he justifies the Trans-Moun-

tain pipeline expansion. Mr. Moe might

have pressed for exemptions from the

carbon tax for grain dryers, for example.

Or he might have asked for new negotia-

tions on industrial carbon pricing or spe-

cific concessions on Bill C-69, the new

federal lawgoverning reviews of major

energy projects. Maybe he could have

pressed Mr. Trudeau to express the view

that the goal is reducing emissions, not

shutting off investment.

But this was a forum for Mr. Moe to ex-

press frustration. Many in Saskatchewan

will be glad he did. Touting moves to-

ward autonomy is a way of expressing

that frustration, too. Creating Saskatche-

wan trade commissioners and Alberta

tax collectors isn’t going to change the

underlying issues.

Oilpatchwillneedmore

thanjustMoe’sanger

AssertingSaskatchewan’s

autonomymaygooverwell

intheprovince,butactions

Premiervowstotakewon’t

domuchforenergyindustry

CAMPBELL
CLARK

OPINION

OTTAWA

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said

he was disappointed after a meeting

with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

where he said Ottawa declined his re-

quest to withdraw a federal carbon tax

on his province.

“I came here in good faith to meet

with the Prime Minister after his words

on the night of the election where he

said he understood the frustrations of

the people of the province of Saskatche-

wan,” Mr. Moe told reporters.

“Disappointedly after this meeting

here today, what I do see is we are going

to see more of the same from this Prime

Minister.”

The provincial leader said he will be

taking steps to increase provincial au-

tonomy, hinting at what

appears to be a measure to

open up Saskatchewan

trade promotion offices

abroad.

The 14 federal ridings in

Mr. Moe’s province elected

no Liberals to Parliament

in the Oct. 21 general elec-

tion, and the sole Liberal

MP in that province, veter-

an cabinet minister Ralph

Goodale, lost a seat he’s

held for decades.

Mr. Trudeau made a

commitment to heal divi-

sions after the vote, telling

Canadians in Saskatche-

wan and Alberta on elec-

tion night that he had

“heard your frustration”

and “wanted to be there to support

you.”

Mr. Moe had come to Ottawa to pitch

the Prime Minister on several proposals,

including cancelling the federal carbon

tax and revising the federal equaliza-

tion program in Saskatchewan and Al-

berta’s favour.

He said he didn’t hear what he want-

ed to hear from Mr. Trudeau.

“I did not hear a commitment to

moving forward on those items,” Mr.

Moe said.

In April, the federal Liberalgovern-

ment imposed a carbon levy in four

provinces – Ontario, Saskatchewan, Ma-

nitoba and New Brunswick – whose

governments opted not to put in place

their own price on greenhouse gas

emissions. Ottawa plans to impose the

federal carbon tax on Alberta starting

Jan. 1.

Cameron Ahmad, director of com-

munications for the Prime Minister’s Of-

fice, declined to directly address Mr.

Moe’s characterization of the meeting

with Mr. Trudeau.

“We are committed to making Parlia-

ment work for all Canadians, and will

continue having constructive discus-

sions with premiers, mayors, and other

parties to address issues right across the

country,” Mr. Ahmad said in a prepared

statement.

He defended the federal carbon levy

and noted money collected is being re-

bated to Canadian families.

“In addition to ensuring this Parlia-

ment works, Canadians expect our gov-

ernment to make life more affordable

for them and fight climate change –

which is exactly what we’re doing by

putting a price on pollution and giving

money right back to families, including

for people in Saskatchewan. The Prime

Minister is eager to work together to

keep making progress and grow the

middle class, and looks forward to

meeting with all premiers

one-on-one in the near fu-

ture.”

Mr. Moe said he had

asked Mr. Trudeau to

make a “commitment to a

conversation around hav-

ing a fair wealth distribu-

tion policy in this nation”

• one that is fair for prov-
  inces such as his, and Al-
  berta, that have suffered a
  decline in economic activ-
  ity in recent years.
  He cited the carbon tax
  and federal legislation
  C-69, which sets up a new
  authority to assess the im-
  pact of major infrastruc-
  ture projects such as pipe-
  lines, mines and interpro-
  vincial highways, as obstacles to growth.
  Mr. Moe said he also asked for a com-
  mitment to ensure provinces such as
  Saskatchewan can get their products to
  market even beyond the Trans Moun-
  tain pipeline expansion project, the pet-
  roleum transmission asset that Ottawa
  purchased last year.
  Asked why Saskatchewan should get
  a break on the federal carbon tax when
  people in other provinces are paying
  carbon levies, he said carbon taxation
  policy in his province “does nothing to
  reduce emissions.”
  He said Saskatchewan believes “the
  provinces retain their jurisdiction when
  it comes to climate policy.”
  Mr. Moe said Saskatchewan will con-
  tinue with its court challenge of the fed-
  eral carbon tax at the Supreme Court.
  Saskatchewan appealed to the country’s
  highest court after losing its constitu-
  tional challenge against the federal tax
  in its own Appeal Court in May, in a 3-
  split decision.

With a report from The Canadian Press

SaskatchewanPremiersaysheexpects

‘moreofthesame’fromTrudeau

STEVENCHASEOTTAWA

Icamehereingood

faithtomeetwith

thePrimeMinister

afterhiswordson

thenightofthe

electionwherehe

saidheunderstood

thefrustrationsof

thepeopleofthe

provinceof

Saskatchewan.

SCOTTMOE

SASKATCHEWANPREMIER

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