Saskatchewan premier hoping to minimize tariffs, expand exports to India

FULL: Premier Scott Moe spoke about what he hopes to accomplish during his upcoming trip to India with Prime Minister Mark Carney.

Saskatchewan’s premier spoke confidently but also managed expectations ahead of his trip to India for a trade mission with federal officials.

Speaking with reporters in Regina Wednesday morning, the premier outlined his goals for the upcoming trade mission that will see Moe travel with Prime Minister Mark Carney to Mumbai and New Delhi.

“Saskatchewan has an opportunity to remain a key partner in providing India’s 1.4 billion people with food and energy security, and that is our aim on this mission to advance that effort, and that goal, and the successes that may come,” Moe said in his opening statement.

In October 2025, India imposed a 30 per cent tariff on Canadian yellow peas. Moe has called on Ottawa to immediately negotiate with India to alleviate pressures on producers.

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However, Moe told reporters that producers may have to contend with increased tariffs on some commodities.

“What I am hearing, is that there’s a potential for those [tariffs] to not be removed, but actually, in the case of lentils, to potentially be increased, and that is due to some local and domestic challenges that India is having with their agricultural prices,” he said.

“I would hope that we’re able to have conversations that would exempt or not have that tariff increased on the products that we’re currently exporting to India, so that we could on future engagements, actually look at having those tariffs removed.”

While he is in India, Moe said he will be focused on expanding opportunities for commodities Saskatchewan already supplies to the subcontinent — namely agricultural products, potash, and uranium.

“[Those] make up the bulk of our exports and we’re going to engage on each of those files when we’re there,” he said.

The premier also reiterated the importance of repeated engagement with international trading partners — pointing to the fact that trade agreements aren’t reached in just one meeting.

“I would say the cumulative relationship building, the effects and the opportunities that come from all of these missions is really what the success is about,” he said.

The overall goal for the trip, according to the premier, is to “reinvigorate the discussion” around a comprehensive economic partnership agreement with India.

“As I said, those discussions were occurring a number of years ago. They were put on pause for a number of years,” he said.

“… But again, it’s the cumulative outcome of this engagement, not just with India, but with international markets, that will speak to the overall success of the growth and diversification of the Saskatchewan economy.”

Moe’s trip to India will be the second trade mission he has accompanied the prime minister on.

Moe joined Carney on his trip to China earlier this year. The meetings saw Beijing reduce tariffs on Canadian canola products in exchange for Ottawa lowering duties on Chinese electric vehicles.

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