Moe’s letter to Trudeau a step in right direction

Maybe the key for Scott Moe is to put it down in writing first ... or at least, present his arguments with a little forethought.

On Thursday morning, the Saskatchewan premier released a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau outlining this province’s demands for its so-called “new deal” in Confederation for Saskatchewan that Moe had fumed about a week ago.

Moe’s letter was far from perfect, perhaps demonstrating how far he and this province still need to go when it comes to re-establishing effective federal-provincial relations. But it didn’t mention a “new deal” or contain the threatening tone and language of a “prairie fire” that could only be stopped if the federal Liberals capitulated on every policy that won them a minority government.

In a week, Moe went from a nonsensical rant demanding that the prime minister scrap the carbon tax and adopt everything Opposition

Leader Andrew Scheer’s Conservatives promised to writing a letter to Trudeau that — while still highlighting the province’s frustrations — offered a reasonable tone upon which to build.

In his letter, Moe requested:

“Government commit to

■

reforming the equalization formula in 2020, and as an interim measure to provide a one-time, per capita payment to Saskatchewan, Alberta and Newfoundland and Labrador”;

“A one-year pause on the

■

federal backstop in Saskatchewan by removing the federal carbon tax in 2020 while Saskatchewan and federal officials work together to re-evaluate Saskatchewan’s carbon emission plan,” and;

“The opportunity to discuss

■ your plans on timelines for moving forward with the Trans Mountain expansion project as quickly as possible and for ensuring the potential for other pipelines to be built or expanded to both the east and west coast” that would take pressure off rail lines and help Saskatchewan get other products to market.

Besides Moe going from demanding an outright scrapping of the carbon tax to requesting a one-year pause, other things in Moe’s letters are eye-roll worthy.

One that leaps to mind is the “one-time, per capita (equalization) payment to Saskatchewan, Alberta and Newfoundland and Labrador” coming from a provincial government and a premier whose predecessor, Brad Wall, bailed on equalization reform when it began creating a politically difficult situation for former Conservative leader Stephen Harper, who wanted to secure votes in Quebec.

Moe was part of the Sask. Party government that insisted it no longer had any interest in equalization handouts — let alone reform — because Saskatchewan was a “have” province. It was a position Moe and the Sask. Party ran on in the last two provincial elections and none of Moe’s Sask. Party leadership opponents during the 2017-18 leadership race had differing views. It wasn’t even something Moe advocated for when the Sask. Party government was in the throes of its 2017-18 budget, where spending decisions put the province in a $1-billion-a-year deficit situation.

And it sure wasn’t something emphasized in the federal election — at least, not in the context of Moe asking Scheer and the Conservatives

to commit to equalization changes like Harper did in 2006.

But once past the stench of hypocrisy and the nonsensical asks like the resurrection of all pipelines (that is not going to happen), Moe’s letter now serves notice to a province and country that the West has big problems.

That seemed evident in Thursday’s announcement from Encana that it’s moving its head office to the U.S. and removing the Canadian content from its name.

Yes, those like Wall will continue to play political games with the Encana news and frame it in the political rather than the economic realities of the oil sector.

But regardless of the politics, there remain serious structural problems with the Western Canadian economy that can’t go ignored by the federal government.

Sure, the Saskatchewan premier is still playing a bit of politics himself, but Moe’s letter at least frames our serious Western issues in a way where we can now at least have a meaning national conversation.

Trudeau has little choice other than to respond.