Saskatchewan NDP Shadow Minister for Labour Nathaniel Teed fights the sun as he speaks to media along the banks of the North Saskatchewan River in Prince Albert on Apr. 3, 2025. (Logan Lehmann/paNOW Staff)

By Logan Lehmann

Politics

Saskatchewan and Canada still at risk from tariffs, not much being done from Sask Party: NDP

Apr 3, 2025 | 5:02 PM

The Saskatchewan NDP was out in Prince Albert on Thursday, responding to the new tariffs announced by the United States a day earlier.

President Donald Trump declared on Wednesday a 10 per cent baseline tax on imports from all countries and higher tariff rates on dozens of nations that run trade surpluses with the United States.

Despite Canada avoiding those new U.S. tariffs, Sask NDP Shadow Minister for Labour Nathaniel Teed said we’re not out of the line of fire.

“We may have dodged the worst of Trump’s tariffs yesterday, but we’re still strapped into this rollercoaster. People are worried sick and deserve a government that’s working day and night to make sure we’re never in such a position of weakness again.”

He said that Saskatchewan has the potential to become “an economic powerhouse” but in order to get there, the ball needs to start rolling.

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“We need immediate investments in trade enabling infrastructure: pipelines, powerlines, rail lines, and highways to get our goods to new markets. This will strengthen our economy and reduce our reliance on U.S. markets now, and into the future.”

“This didn’t come out of nowhere — the Sask. Party had months to prepare and sat on their hands,” continued Teed, when speaking about the U.S. tariffs, adding that the last few months should have been a wake-up. “Other provinces acted. Meanwhile, this government pandered to Trump when they should have been standing up for Saskatchewan jobs and kickstarting new infrastructure to get our products to more markets.”

With everything going on and uncertainty in the air, Teed reassured that the NDP is ready to fight for the province and its residents.

“We hear your concerns. We know the frustration, the anxiety, and, frankly, the anger this uncertainty is causing,” he said. “We have 27 members on our team working around the clock to support you and push for real leadership in this province.”

Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday that Canada will hit back against U.S. President Donald Trump’s 25 per cent auto tariffs with matching levies on vehicles imported from the United States.

Carney said Canada’s counter-tariffs will hit all vehicles that do not comply with the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement, along with any non-Canadian content in compliant vehicles, meaning any vehicles made with less than 75 per cent North American content will face 25 per cent tariffs.

-with files from The Canadian Press

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loganc.lehmann@pattisonmedia.com

On Bluesky: @loganlehmann.bsky.social