Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe announces new border plan as Trump tariff threat looms

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe is readying for a tariff war with Canada’s largest trading partner and closest neighbour while also announcing new border security measures designed at least partially to appease the incoming U.S. administration.

In an effort to target areas near the American boundary, the Saskatchewan Border Security Plan (SBSP) will deploy a group of 16 law enforcement officers who’ve been drawn from conservation service, highway patrol and canine teams.

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The SBSP can be expanded to 95 officers should the need arise.

This announcement comes days before the Jan. 20 inauguration of U.S. president-elect Donald Trump, who has threatened to add 25-per-cent tariffs on all imports from Canada. In the process of making that threat, Trump has expressed concerns about border security in addition to claiming the United States has a “$200-billion trade deficit” with Canada.

Responding Tuesday, Moe said “there is no trade deficit” but the threat of tariffs is “very real,” adding that “what (Trump) says and the initiatives that he heads toward, you need to take those very seriously.”

Quebec announced a plan on Tuesday to mobilize up to 300 officers to its U.S. border. Alberta, Manitoba and Ontario have also announced enhanced security measures in light of Trump’s focus on the northern border.

While the SBSP program is a way to potentially address some of Trump’s concerns, Moe said there’s also a local imperative to better regulate the border as it relates to issues like drugs, human trafficking and illegal weapons.

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“If our largest trading partner has identified the 49th parallel border security as a challenge, then that’s a conversation that we need to partake in,” said Moe.

As part of the SBSP, officers will have use of a mobile command unit, licence plate readers, drones, snowmobiles and three airplanes to bolster border security and complement the efforts of the federal Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).

Meanwhile, the proposed tariffs would be disastrous for both countries, said Moe, adding that North American energy, food and manufacturing security could be thrown into disarray while Americans — the largest importers of Canadian oil and gas — would see spikes in fuel prices.

“The fuel that comes from largely Saskatchewan and Alberta into U.S. refineries, it’s going to cost more. Thus will your groceries, thus will everything,” Moe said.

Speaking in Saskatoon at the Western Crop Production Show, NDP Leader Carla Beck touched on the tariffs and their potential impact on the province.

“These tariffs will ruin livelihoods, kill jobs, and raise costs for people already struggling to make ends meet on both sides of the border,” said Beck in an emailed press release.

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“With Ottawa in chaos, leaders at all levels need to step up and make this case to our counterparts down south. This isn’t a time for politics.”

There was some consideration of Moe attending the presidential inauguration, but the associated cost and the inability to effectively meet with American officials means he will instead take part in a delegation this February that’s headed to Washington.

On Wednesday, Moe will be part of the first ministers’ meeting in Ottawa with other premiers and outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

As Trudeau leaves, Moe is encouraging MPs of all stripes to push for an election as soon as possible.

“We have no negotiating strength with president-elect Trump, who is coming in with the most significant mandate in recent history,” said Moe, highlighting the three houses of government controlled by Trump’s Republican party.

alsalloum@postmedia.com

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