Premier Scott Moe will lead COF Delegation to governors meeting in Washington D.C.

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe is getting ready to lead a delegation of Canadian Premiers to the National Governors Association Winter Meeting in Washington, D.C., from February 7th to 10th.

Moe is the Chair of the Council of Federation. The delegation includes New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs, Québec Premier François Legault, Ontario Premier Doug Ford, and Alberta Premier Jason Kenney.

It is crucial that we continue to gain momentum in building our relationship with our most important trading partner while we continue to push Canadian parliamentarians for the swift ratification of the USMCA deal in Canada. https://t.co/aloKU4fvQT

— Scott Moe (@PremierScottMoe) February 5, 2020

The meeting focuses on the topic of Domestic and International Innovations for Modernizing America’s Infrastructure.

There are reports suggesting the United States might consider backing out of the World Trade Organization’s Agreement on Government Procurement, which could affect Canadian businesses having to buy American products.

With that possibility in mind, Moe said it’s all the more reason for the province and the nation to engage with markets.

“For Saskatchewan, that’s over 150 countries around the world,” explained Moe to reporters on Wednesday afternoon. “It’s all the more reason for us to be on the ground in those particular areas of interest, and that’s what we are doing over the course of this weekend.”

The premier will be participating in meetings with a number of U.S. Administration and Congress members to discuss market and trade strategies.

He said they want to engage with whoever they can to advocate for a strong relationship regarding pathways and corridors towards the south.

“We very much are engaged to the south with agri-food products, to the south with our energy products, and to the south with our potash products as well.”

Moe suggested the sooner the new NAFTA agreement can be ratified, the sooner the province will be able to engage on some of the trade challenges that exist.

In 2018, Saskatchewan exported $16.9-billion worth of goods to the United States, representing 55% of Saskatchewan’s total exports.

Saskatchewan also imported $9.9 billion worth of goods from the United States.