Premier Moe Says Saskatchewan Favours Staying Within Canada

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said he understands the frustrations of Albertans who want to separate from Canada, but he wants Saskatchewan to stay within Canada, despite separatists being active in his province.

“We support a strong and growing province of Saskatchewan within the united nation of Canada, and again, those frustrations shouldn’t be discounted,” Moe said on May 25 in Calgary.

Speaking to reporters on the first day of a meeting of Western premiers, Moe said he is aware of “building frustration” with the federal government in both Alberta and Saskatchewan, and he has heard such concerns “almost on a daily basis.”

Moe said Prime Minister Mark Carney has a “collaborative approach” that is “far different” from dealings with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Moe cited the memorandum of understanding that Carney signed with Alberta on a West Coast pipeline as an example of this.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced on May 21 that her government would include a question on separation in the province’s upcoming referendum ballot. The Oct. 19 ballot will ask if Alberta should remain a province of Canada, or if the provincial government should, “commence the legal process required under the Canadian Constitution to hold a binding provincial referendum on whether or not Alberta should separate from Canada.”

Smith’s announcement came after Alberta Court of King’s Bench Justice Shaina Leonard ruled that Elections Alberta improperly approved a citizen-led separatist petition. She found that the province had not met its constitutional duty to consult First Nations. The judge said that, since secession would directly affect treaty rights, such consultations need to take place before a petition process of this kind can proceed.

The campaigners behind the referendum question had managed to collect 301,620 signatures, far exceeding the required 178,000, which is equal to 10 percent of the total votes cast in the last provincial election. Their referendum question had directly asked whether Alberta should secede from Canada.

Prime Minister Carney said on May 25 that Smith’s referendum question was a “dangerous bluff” that could “backfire” like the United Kingdom’s Brexit vote did nearly a decade ago. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has also said he favours Alberta staying in Canada, and his party will campaign for that.

Moe said that Smith is “following the law” by allowing for a citizen initiative to be put to a vote. The Saskatchewan premier added that his province also has a law mandating a non-binding plebiscite on a topic if at least 15 percent of voters sign a petition requesting one.

Moe said that while Albertans would make their own decisions on separation, he believes there are “many reasons” it’s beneficial for Alberta to remain in Canada, including trade opportunities with other countries.

A group called the Saskatchewan Prosperity Project has scheduled town halls in Regina, Saskatoon, and Swift Current as it campaigns for the province of over 1 million people to separate from Canada.