In a news release Saskatchewan Deputy Premier and Minister of Finance Jim Reiter said, “While we are pleased to see some projects selected, including the Foran Copper Mine in Saskatchewan, I think most Canadians were expecting a more ambitious list of projects.” He said the omission of uranium projects from the list is extremely concerning as there are three projects in Saskatchewan that are ready to move forward in the near term, and the provincial government has asked the federal government to correct this immediately.
Reiter notes the lack of any approved pipeline projects also highlights the uncertainty caused by the current regulatory system and the reluctance of companies to move forward given that uncertainty. He suggests a federal Major Projects Office is only necessary because of unworkable federal regulations, like the Impact Assessment Act, brought forward by the previous liberal Prime Minister. Bill C-5 and the Major Projects Office do not solve the fundamental problem that these regulations are a barrier to projects moving forward.
The Province says Saskatchewan’s position remains the same that Canada needs all economic projects to go forward if Canada wants to be the strongest economy in the G-7 not just the projects selected by politicians in Ottawa and that can only happen through true regulatory reform at the federal level which Premier Moe will raise with the Prime Minister the next time they speak.
Meanwhile, following the federal government’s major projects announcement, the Saskatchewan NDP is “deeply disappointed” that the list of initiatives did not include new pipelines, power generation or rail capacity.
In a news release, Party Leader Carla Beck questioned Premier Scott Moe’s efforts to secure these types of infrastructure investment. She adds that “Moe continues to hide the list of projects he did – or did not – provide to the federal government for consideration.”
The NDP calls on the province to release the infrastructure list, providing transparency to all Saskatchewan residents.
