For immediate release: March 26, 2025
Trump’s Deal With Russia, Current And Coming US Tariffs Means Sask. Party Budget Is Pure Fiction
REGINA – The Saskatchewan NDP is demanding Scott Moe and the Sask. Party run their bogus provincial budget through the paper shredder and get back to the drawing board in light of a disturbing new deal Donald Trump has struck with Putin and tariffs being imposed at will by the US administration.
The Sask. Party budget, introduced last week, offered no contingency plan to address the trade war and changing global trade markets, despite action plans being delivered by provincial budgets recently introduced in Alberta, British Columbia, New Brunswick and Manitoba.
“The Sask. Party budget is a fantasy, nothing more,” said Trent Wotherspoon, Saskatchewan NDP Finance Shadow Minister. “It’s not worth the paper it’s printed on. Nothing for tariffs and our economy, no contingency fund for producers, workers, industry or small businesses.
“What have they been doing for the past four months? Certainly not delivering for the people of Saskatchewan,” Wotherspoon added.
On Tuesday, Donald Trump’s administration announced it would help restore Russia’s access to the world market for its agricultural and fertilizer exports. The agreement came without any ceasefire agreement or end to the illegal Russian invasion of Ukraine and the countless murders that have occurred as a result.
As well, Trump has placed tariffs on Saskatchewan steel and aluminum and has repeatedly warned of a coming “Liberation Day” on April 2 in which broader tariffs are expected to be levied against Canadian goods and those of other countries. Trump has threatened tariffs for months and moved actively to advance an alliance with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.
The Sask. Party budget booked a bogus $12-million surplus, which many business and taxpayer groups have criticized as pure fantasy, given the negative impacts of the Trump trade war to the provincial economy.
Until Tuesday, Moe had ignored or downplayed the risks of the Trump tariffs, his threats to Canadian sovereignty and his Putin allegiance despite repeated calls to do so.
“If the Premier is finally listening to the people of Saskatchewan, he will take his budget, jam it through the paper shredder and then start actually working for the people of this province and the future of our economy,” Wotherspoon said.
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