Mandryk: Moe’s silence preferred alternative to Danielle Smith’s noise

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There will be significant pressure on Moe — much of it coming from the oil sector — to throw his lot in with Smith and Alberta.

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It’s more than a wee bit odd that what might be turning into Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe’s finest hour is an an hour when he’s saying very little.

We’ve generally been hearing less than usual from Moe, who vowed to turn down the rhetoric after the October election.

But this newfound, quiet-man image has become especially noticeable since Moe went to Ottawa this week to meet with other premiers and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to hammer out a united position on U.S. President Donald Trump’s threatened trade tariffs.

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While other premiers have had an excessive amount to say, Moe — not exactly known for keeping his opinions to himself when it comes to the federal Liberal government and Trudeau — has been a man of few words.

No press release. No Facebook post. No post on X. Not a single Trudeau-bashing statement (as of late) from the guy who warned us seven years ago to “Just watch me.”

Perhaps most surprisingly, not a single word in defence of the Western Canada oil sector — even after Alberta Premier Danielle Smith set the table for a good old-fashioned round of federal bashing by not signing the joint communique that followed the First Ministers’ meeting, refusing to participate in the final press conference and balking at a “Team Canada” approach.

Smith chose to mock the whole process by releasing her own version of “How to build Team Canada” on social media. It included a litany of past and present Alberta/Western/oil sector grievances: the inequities of equalization, failure to build pipelines and sell natural gas to Germany and Japan. Call it the Mar-a-Lago Proclamation of Alberta Economic Independence.

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This approach immediately drew fire from some unlikely sources — namely, Ontario Progressive Conservative Premier Doug Ford, who rightly noted that while premiers must protect their regional interests, they also must view themselves as Canadians first.

More interesting, however, is who had nothing to say about Smith’s fit of pique: Scott Moe.

In what some may describe as out-of-character behaviour, Moe kept his powder dry. Many are now interpreting that as a newfound, statesman-like approach that fits the seriousness of the situation.

If so — and if Moe could go one step further and find a way to bring the Alberta maverick back into the Team Canada fold — it might turn into his finest hour.

The problem, however, is that this is a tough one for him. He will face immense pressure, and the right approach might not be as clear as it seems.

For starters, Smith isn’t completely without a point.

While jetting off to Mar-a-Lago — presumably to cut a separate tariff-exemption deal with Trump — seems wrong, Alberta does have both long- and short-term issues with the federal government to consider.

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Long-term grievances over the federal carbon tax that were dismissed by the the federal government have festered for far too long.

Even the smallest concession from Ottawa — like not increasing the carbon tax every April as Canadians struggle with inflation, or perhaps not initially insisting that natural gas power plants be shuttered by 2035 — might somewhat help build the pan-Canadian goodwill we so desperately need today.

Moreover, if (and it remains an “if” because there are other, lesser retaliatory options for Canada) we ever used our massive oil and gas stocks as leverage against U.S. tariffs, it’s an absolute reality that this tactic would disproportionately hurt Alberta and the West.

There will be significant pressure on Moe — much of it from the oil sector — to throw his lot in with Smith and Alberta. Is he inclined to change his mind? Sometimes all it takes is a weekend back in Shellbrook, talking to the folks. Stay tuned.

But right now it does seem Moe recognizes that keeping a unified front and not showing weakness in the ranks is the best thing he can do.

What he may yet do remains uncertain. But right now, his silence speaks volumes.

Mandryk is the political columnist for the Regina Leader-Post and the Saskatoon StarPhoenix.

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Our websites are your destination for up-to-the-minute Saskatchewan news, so make sure to bookmark thestarphoenix.com and leaderpost.com. For Regina Leader-Post newsletters click here; for Saskatoon StarPhoenix newsletters click here

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