Moe the hardliner as ‘resistance’ premiers diverge on Liberal election win – Regina Leader-Post

Premier Scott Moe has escalated his rhetoric against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the same time other members of the so-called resistance of conservative premiers appear to be toning it down.

But Moe brushed off any notion that his alliance with premiers like Brian Pallister of Manitoba and Blaine Higgs of New Brunswick is fraying in light of election results that kept the Liberals in power in Ottawa.

Higgs committed to implementing a carbon tax consistent with the federal governments benchmark on Tuesday.

I cant ignore the obvious here, Higgs said. The country has spoken.

While frequently invoked by Moe as an ally, Higgs was not on the famous MacLeans magazine cover of anti-Trudeau conservative premiers dubbed the Resistance.

But Premier Brian Pallister was, along with Moe, Conservative leader Andrew Scheer, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney and Ontario Premier Doug Ford.

While he didnt backtrack on his carbon tax opposition, Pallister did offer post-election remarks that were more conciliatory than Moes address, where the Saskatchewan premier said theres a fire burning in the Prairie provinces.

Instead, Pallister signalled a willingness to work with a new Trudeau government. He also forcefully shut down talk of Western separatism.

I have no time for that kind of thing, Pallister said. Were going to make the country work.

While Moe has referred to himself as a frustrated federalist who believes in Canada, he hasnt dismissed or condemned the rising tide of western alienation that crested into a surge of separatist sentiment on social media after the election results.

Moe has also doubled down on his rejection of carbon taxation, calling on Trudeau on Tuesday to reverse it. He blamed the policy, in part, for the divisiveness revealed by election results that saw the Conservatives sweep Saskatchewan.

Asked Wednesday about the solidity of the conservative resistance, Moe said hes spoken with Higgs and other premiers since the election results. The same concerns over provincial jurisdiction remain widespread, according to Moe.

With respect to comments by Premier Pallister and Premier Higgs yesterday, I fully respect those comments, as I believe it is in the provincial jurisdiction for them to make decisions to address climate change in the most effective way that they feel they can, Moe responded.

Higgs confirmed to Moe that he is still planning to intervene in Saskatchewans carbon tax appeal, according to the Moes press secretary, Jim Billington. Billington added that Pallister has also shown no sign of dropping out.

Moe was not available for comment immediately after question period on Thursday, but Trade and Export Development Minister Jeremy Harrison took questions about separatism and Saskatchewans acrimonious relationship with the re-elected Liberal government.

Im happy to make a categorical statement saying we are not in favour of separation, period, Harrison said.

He argued that Saskatchewan people dont want to separate from Canada; they simply want to separate from the Liberal government.

This is real. This is genuine. People are angry. People are frustrated, said Harrison. People demand change, and we saw that at the ballot box.

Mondays election hurt the Liberals in regions across the country, but the trend in Saskatchewan was especially marked. The Conservatives jumped from 48.5 to 64.3 per cent of the vote, while Liberal support slipped from 23.9 to just 11.6 per cent.

By contrast, the Liberals held on to 26.3 per cent of the vote in Manitoba. While that was a steep drop from the 44.7 per cent they won in 2015, the party retained four key battleground seats in the Winnipeg area.

The Liberals also lost votes in New Brunswick, but remained the largest party with 37.6 per cent of the vote. They held on to six seats.

The argument could be made that the premiers are simply responding to electoral cues.

Another member of the resistance, Premier Doug Ford of Ontario, also struck a strangely harmonious chord after the election. He thanked Trudeau for supporting his transit priorities and said people expect us to work together.

But hes also planning to continue pursuing the provinces carbon tax challenge in the courts.

The federal Liberals shed just three points of their 2015 vote share in Ontario, winning 79 seats on Tuesday.

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney remains an ally of Moe and an outspoken critic of Trudeaus policies. But he hasnt been quite so bombastic in recent days.

He sent a lengthy letter to the prime minister congratulating him on his election victory, while reiterating his deep concerns about Albertas place within the federation.

He again called on the federal government to exempt Alberta from the carbon tax backstop, as just one of a long list of grievances.

The Conservatives gained 9.5 points in Alberta, a province they already dominated in 2015. The Liberals lost all of their seats in Alberta and saw their vote share drop from 24.5 to 13.7 per cent, though the NDP held onto one riding in Edmonton.

Even if hes attracted opprobrium from his critics, its clear that Moes hardline approach is proving popular on social media.

The premier posted a statement to his accounts on Tuesday blaming the Liberal government for divisions and calling for a new deal for Canada. Billington said it was the most shared Facebook post ever by a Saskatchewan premier.

It had received 38,000 shares on Facebook as of Thursday evening.

awhite-crummey@postmedia.com

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Moe the hardliner as 'resistance' premiers diverge on Liberal election win - Regina Leader-Post