Alec Salloum
Regina Leader-Post
Saskatchewan Party MLAs have passed a motion calling for Ottawa to drop tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles (EVs) while also commending Premier Scott Moe for his advocacy on the issue.
The motion was originally brought forward on Thursday by the NDP Opposition. Party leader Carla Beck read it out on the floor: “The assembly calls upon the premier to clearly and unequivocally call for the Government of Canada to immediately remove its tariffs on electric vehicles from China to restore market access for canola, peas and pork producers in Saskatchewan.”
Trade and Export Development Minister Warren Kaeding amended the motion, shifting the impetus from “the premier” to “the Government of Canada.” His submission added that the legislature “commends the Premier for the early and consistent leadership he has shown by calling on the federal government to remove its EV tariffs.”
The amended motion passed, with 33 votes in favour. The 24 votes against were all from the Opposition.
China imposed 100 per cent tariffs on Canadian canola, peas and pork this August in response to Ottawa following the lead of the United States in 2024, imposing 100 per cent tariff on Chinese EVs.
Since the tariffs came into effect, Moe has visited China in an effort to negotiate their removal, a point highlighted in the amended motion. The premier has admitted there is a balance to be struck when dealing with the U.S. and China.
“This is not a straight line,” Moe told reporters after the vote. “There’s direct and indirect impacts to the decisions that we make.”
Asked if he was concerned of blowback from the U.S. should the EV tariffs be scrapped, Moe said: “That’s the difficulty of the discussion.”
Beck has criticized Moe for his position on EV tariffs and said she felt the amended motion detracted from her initial intent.
“We had the opportunity to send a very clear message to the federal government,” she said. “What we saw was the government make it about them.”
