Sask. Opposition introduces anti-separation bill

Chris Edwards · CBC News

· Posted: May 07, 2025 7:56 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 minutes ago

Saskatchewan's Opposition NDP introduced a measure connected Wednesday that would summation the threshold for national petitions connected separation referendums, and make a ineligible obstruction to forestall the premier and furniture from unilaterally calling specified a referendum.

"This is astir not leaving things to accidental and astir showing immoderate enactment successful that respect," NDP vigor and resources professional Sally Housser said. "You spot Danielle Smith successful Alberta trying to marque [separation] easier. We privation to marque it harder."

The bill, called the Keep Saskatchewan successful Canada Act, would amend Saskatchewan's Referendum and Plebiscite Act to explicitly exclude separation referendums from the database of referendums that the premier oregon legislative assembly would beryllium legally allowed to call. 

It besides would besides rise the threshold for palmy national petitions connected separation referendums, requiring signatures from 30 per cent of eligible voters alternatively of 15 per cent.

Currently a separation petition by national radical Unified Grassroots has generated astir 3,000 signatures. To conscionable the existent 15 per cent threshold, it would request to accumulate astir 125,000.

The bill's instauration comes aft respective days of the Saskatchewan NDP and Saskatchewan Party authorities trading accusations implicit each other's motives with respect to provincial separation.

Premier Scott Moe, who described the amendment arsenic the "silence Saskatchewan radical bill" during question play connected Wednesday, accused the NDP of being liable for keeping separatist threats astatine the apical of the governmental agenda.

"The enactment that wants everyone to halt talking astir separation, surely can't halt talking astir separation," helium said, earlier reiterating the close of citizens to motorboat plebiscites nether existent legislation.

"I volition ne'er ballot to abstracted from this province," NDP Leader Carla Beck said. "But I americium not definite that that premier tin accidental the aforesaid for his team." 

The measure volition beryllium fixed its 2nd speechmaking connected Thursday.

NDP meets with steelworker union

Earlier connected Wednesday, Beck met with respective national leaders from United Steelworkers (USW). Among them were USW District 3 manager for Western Canada Scott Lunny and Mike Day, president of USW Local 5890, which represents workers astatine Evraz successful Regina. 

The closed-door gathering focused chiefly connected however the authorities tin assistance steelworkers successful airy of American tariffs and assistance grow the manufacture wrong Canada.

"We request to physique infrastructure," Beck said. "Whether we're talking astir pipelines, whether we're talking astir obstruction lines and expanding obstruction capacity, larboard access, larboard functioning."

Beck went connected to notation the NDP's anti-separation bill, saying that separation threats would people beryllium atrocious for business. 

"We're present for Canadian jobs, Canadian procurement projects, everything similar that. So we privation to basal united, arsenic a agreed country," Mike Day said erstwhile asked astir separation threats. 

The U.S. is presently charging a 25 per cent tariff connected each alloy and aluminum products entering the country.

According to Statistics Canada, Saskatchewan exported $387 cardinal worthy of robust and alloy products and $26 cardinal worthy of aluminum to the United States in 2024. In a abstracted interrogation with CBC successful March 2025, Day estimated that astir 30 per cent of the alloy produced astatine the Evraz installation is shipped to a sister works successful the U.S.

The Canadian authorities presently has retaliatory tariffs connected $28.9 cardinal of goods successful effect to alloy and aluminum tariffs.