Murray Wood: Make sure you appreciate the special moments in life
Murray Wood says cuddling with his three-year-old granddaughter is a great way to start the day. He says it's important ...
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says independence is crucial for North America’s energy sector and requires collaboration from both Canada and the United States.
Moe made his comments during a panel discussing the future of energy at the Midwestern Legislative Conference on Tuesday.
The event held at Saskatoon’s TCU Place brought together legislators from 11 mid western states and four neighbouring Canadian provinces to discuss major topics affecting their jurisdictions.
Read more:
- Former PM Stephen Harper calls Trump’s tariffs a ‘wake up call’ for Canada
- Carney says getting best possible deal with U.S. more important than Aug. 1 deadline
- Moe praises work on breaking down trade barriers at premiers’ meeting
Moe said North American technology, fuel supply and manufacturing expertise are crucial for the continent to stay independent.
Moe said places like Europe have become entirely reliant on Russia for their energy security, and “we should do no such thing in North America.”
He added that it’s important to look past the current conversations surrounding tariffs and focus on broader relationships such as collective energy security in North America.
“I’m concerned that it’s going to get tougher before it gets better, but we need to find our way through it so that we can get back to doing what we do best, and that’s trade with products north and south of the 49th parallel,” Moe said.
The president of Westinghouse Canada, John Gorman, said there are multiple nuclear reactor projects in the works across the country, but these massive infrastructure projects cannot be handled by a single company alone.
“Canada wants to be an energy superpower (and) the U.S. wants energy dominance,” he said, noting that both countries can dominate the sector globally.
CEO of Cameco, Tim Gitzel, said concerns around tariffs have not stopped conversations with both Canada and the U.S. government surrounding nuclear energy.
“We know we need electricity, whether there’s tariffs or not,” he said, noting there has been excitement from both sides of the border around nuclear electricity.
Gitzel said he was in Pittsburgh two weeks ago with U.S. President Donald Trump and the Secretary of Energy for discussions on the sector.
“The President was very aggressive (and) wants us to start 10 Westinghouse reactors by 2030,” Gitzel said, noting Trump wants to build around 200 more by 2050.
Ann Johnson Stewart, a Minnesota Senator, said she agreed with Moe’s address on continental security and said his presentation convinced her of the need to look into nuclear energy.
“We need to get back to ignoring the politics and the ridiculous things coming out of Washington and work forward towards more collaboration, especially around energy,” she said.
She said Minnesota gets its uranium from Saskatchewan to process, noting there are many opportunities for jobs and development in that sector.
