Saskatchewan elects Moe to replace Wall as premier

Former environment minister wins on the fifth ballot

SASKATOON— Immediately after he was chosen as the next premier of Saskatchewan, Scott Moe threw down the gauntlet on the threat of a federal carbon tax by using a line from the prime minister’s late father.

“We will not impose a carbon tax on the good people of this province," Moe said Saturday night after winning the Saskatchewan Party leadership. “And Justin Trudeau, if you are wondering how far I will go — just watch me.”

It took five ballots in the preferential system for the former advanced education and environment minister to take the party’s top job. He beat out three other provincial cabinet ministers and a senior civil servant to win the leadership.

As a former environment minister, Moe, who is 44, has been a central figure in Saskatchewan’s battle to resist Ottawa’s insistence that provinces put a price on carbon. As the lone holdout among the provinces, Saskatchewan has said it will take the matter to the courts if necessary.

The “just watch me” line was used by Trudeau’s father, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, during the October Crisis in 1970, when he was asked by a reporter how far he was prepared to go to maintain law and order in Quebec.

Moe takes over from Brad Wall, who has consistently ranked as one of the country’s most popular and well-known premiers.

Wall surprised many in August when he announced he was calling it quits, as public anger lingered over an austerity budget that both raised taxes and made deep spending cuts.

Wall pitched his departure as an opportunity for renewal within the Saskatchewan Party, which has been in power since 2007.

Moe has promised a plan to balance the Saskatchewan budget by 2019. He’s also promised to add 400 educational assistants and other educational professionals to classrooms across the province.

The next provincial election in Saskatchewan is set for 2020.