Saskatchewan legislators spar over motion calling on Ottawa to remove EV tariff

Saskatchewan politicians levelled accusations of preening and reckless behaviour as they debated China’s punishing tariffs on Canadian canola in the legislature Thursday. 

The furor was over the Saskatchewan Party government changing an Opposition NDP motion, which called on the federal government to remove its 100-per-cent tariff on Chinese electric vehicles and restore market access for Canadian agriculture products. 

Premier Scott Moe’s caucus struck out the NDP’s wording and added their own version that called for the same thing. His caucus also added a line commending Moe’s leadership on the file.

The motion passed with the Saskatchewan Party majority voting in favour, while the NDP voted against.   

New Democrats said the motion’s congratulatory wording of the premier was pompous and arrogant.  

“They’re making it all about themselves and trying to fluff the feathers of the premier … at a time where we need to have the backs of producers,” Trent Wotherspoon, the party’s deputy agriculture critic, told the assembly. 

“We see … the front bench prop up and lift the premier while the backbench fans him and feeds him fruit.” 

In March, China imposed tariffs on Canadian canola oil and meal, peas, pork and some seafood products. It later slapped Canada with a hefty levy on canola seed, widely seen in response to Ottawa’s 100-per-cent tariff on Chinese EVs.