Trudeau talks marijuana, trade during Evraz mill tour
Saskatchewan’s new marijuana plan met with the approval of the prime minister Wednesday, as Justin Trudeau passed through Regina to meet with steel workers and the mayor.
“We’re very pleased to see Saskatchewan moving forward,” Trudeau told reporters assembled at the Evraz steel mill. “We will look at the details on it — it was just released today — but it looks like it’s very much in line with the kinds of decisions that other provinces are taking and we’re very confident that we’re going to be able to move forward responsibly, like I said, for the summer.”
Premier Scott Moe did not make an appearance during Trudeau’s tour through the mill. The Saskatchewan Party government has repeatedly criticized the federal timeline for cannabis legalization, but it finally set a legal age and revealed other details on Wednesday.
But Moe sent his minister of energy and resources, Bronwyn Eyre. Steel was on the agenda, and Trudeau pointed to Eyre as he thanked the provincial government for adding its weight to the push against U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum.
“I also want to thank the Government of Saskatchewan that has been a solid ally in the Team Canada approach as we move forward to ensure that everyone in the United States understands Canada’s position and Canada’s importance to the American economy,” he said. “They would be hurting themselves if they were to bring tariffs in.”
Shortly before Trudeau began his cross-country steel tour, President Donald Trump announced Canada would be exempt from the measures — at least for now. Trudeau sat down with about a dozen steelworkers at Evraz and told them they can breath a sigh of relief.
“I’m really happy to be having the kind of conversation we’re having this week instead of the conversation we might have had if the American decision had gone differently,” he said, adding that his government is “fairly confident” the tariffs will not be hitting Canada.
“I have really been working with the president, working with the administration to make a strong case that Canada is different from any other country that they deal with,” Trudeau said, citing the high level of integration between the two economies.
But the prospect of U.S. tariffs isn’t the only threat to the steelworkers.
In fact, Trudeau spent much of Wednesday afternoon inspecting large-diameter steel pipe, of exactly the type that Regina steelworkers hope to make if the Trans Mountain pipeline is ever built. British Columbia’s push to block that project has triggered press releases from Evraz pointing to the significance of the pipeline for its Regina operations.
Trudeau shook the workers’ hands, and asked them their names.
Later that same afternoon, he committed to pushing through the project that might well keep them on the job.
“The Trans Mountain pipeline is going to get built,” he told reporters in the plant. “It’s a project in the national interest. It is part of our approach on a national climate plan, because we’re going to be getting our resources to market safely and securely through this pipeline.”
After his tour, Trudeau held a roundtable discussion with industry leaders. Evraz executives took part, as did Eyre and Regina Chamber of Commerce CEO John Hopkins.
“First of all,” he began the meeting, “thank you everyone for joining us today for this opportunity to talk about steel, to talk about the economy, to talk about the challenges we’re facing with our American partners and how we’re making sure that these tariffs on steel and aluminum don’t apply to Canada.”