Saskatchewan Premier Calls Canada-U.S. Trade Talks Encouraging
Key Takeaways
- •Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe characterized recent Canada-U.S. talks aimed at preventing new U.S. tariffs as encouraging, citing engagement by U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Canada's team led by Minister Dominic LeBlanc.
- •Moe urged Canada to focus on renewing the USMCA, the trilateral trade pact that replaced NAFTA in July 2020 and is scheduled for a joint review by member countries in 2026.
- •U.S. tariff actions in 2025 imposed duties on a range of Canadian products while leaving many goods that meet the USMCA's rules-of-origin requirements exempt.
- •Saskatchewan's export-reliant economy, centered on potash, canola, and wheat, gives the province a significant stake in the talks, as Canada is the world's largest potash exporter.
- •Canada's dairy supply management system remains a sensitive issue in the negotiations, having been a sticking point in the original USMCA talks when Canada agreed to open part of its dairy market to U.S. producers.
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said Thursday that recent discussions between Canada and the United States aimed at preventing new U.S. tariffs have been encouraging.
Speaking to reporters in Alberta, Moe said Canada should keep its focus on renewing the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), the trilateral trade pact that replaced the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in July 2020 and is scheduled for a joint review by the three member countries in 2026.
"The most recent engagement by (U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson) Greer on the U.S. side, and then our team led by Minister (Dominic) LeBlanc is encouraging," Moe said.
"For us as Canadians, we want a reviewed and renewed (USMCA) agreement with our largest trading partner," he added.
The stakes of the current talks extend beyond the scheduled review. U.S. tariff actions in 2025 imposed new duties on a range of Canadian products while leaving many goods that meet the agreement's rules-of-origin requirements exempt, a carve-out that has kept the USMCA at the centre of Canada's response to the broader trade dispute.
The United States is Canada's largest trading partner, and the review of the agreement carries particular weight for provinces such as Saskatchewan, a Prairie province whose economy depends heavily on exports including potash, canola, and wheat. Saskatchewan accounts for the bulk of Canadian potash production, and Canada is the world's largest exporter of the fertilizer ingredient, which U.S. farmers rely on heavily, giving the province an outsized stake in the tariff and trade-pact discussions. Saskatchewan is also Canada's leading canola-growing province, and Canada ranks among the world's top wheat exporters.
Moe noted that Canada's dairy supply management system was among the sensitive issues in the negotiations. The system, which regulates domestic production, pricing, and imports through quotas and high tariffs, was a sticking point in the original USMCA talks, during which Canada agreed to open a portion of its dairy market to U.S. producers.
Source: Investing.com
