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Why Saskatchewan's premier says Trump's potash threats are 'not realistic' · INSIGHT TODAY

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  Speaker 1: U.S. President Donald Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky
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  Speaker 1: in New York today on the sidelines of the United
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  Speaker 1: Nations General Assembly. He told reporters he's still looking elsewhere
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  Speaker 1: for potash. Belarus has a lot of potash, and our
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  Speaker 1: farmers need good prices, and we want to get.
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  Speaker 2: A lower price than Canada.
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  Speaker 1: We'll continue to go with Canada, but Belarus would like
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  Speaker 1: to sell it for a much lower price. Well, this
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  Speaker 1: latest threat had sparked some concern from politicians on both
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  Speaker 1: sides of the border. As outlined in a report released today,
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  Speaker 1: such a move would financially cripple the U.S. agriculture sector.
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  Speaker 1: And the report from Agri-Food Economic Systems shows that when
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  Speaker 1: the West functions as a united bloc, it holds a
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  Speaker 1: dominant global position in potash over the China-Russia bloc. However,
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  Speaker 1: if the U.S. stops buying from Canada, American farmers face
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  Speaker 1: an immediate massive shortage, which is why the president backed
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  Speaker 1: away from that threat today. Not surprising. Not surprising.
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  Speaker 2: The comments made by the president on shifting purchases to Belarus, one,
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  Speaker 2: aren't made by him, two, not realistic, and three, it
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  Speaker 2: really begs the question as to why. Over 40 countries
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  Speaker 2: have sanctions on Belarusian potash for a good reason, because
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  Speaker 2: of the very direct link and support that Belarus is
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  Speaker 2: showing and providing to Vladimir Putin and the Russian invasion
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  Speaker 2: of Ukraine and the aspiration likely to go beyond the
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  Speaker 2: Ukrainian borders as well. And then the second, so it
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  Speaker 2: wasn't realistic. They're shipping all of their potash east, not
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  Speaker 2: to the Western world. And that's been indicated to be
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  Speaker 2: the case. Second is, why would you consider it? With
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  Speaker 2: 40 countries having sanctions, Canada, not a geopolitical adversary of
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  Speaker 2: the U.S., yes, having a very difficult trade discussion at
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  Speaker 2: the moment, but longstanding ally of the U.S., part of NATO,
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  Speaker 2: part of NORAD, part of the Five Eyes. It really
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  Speaker 2: begs the question as to why you'd ever consider something
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  Speaker 2: like that in the first place. So it was never realistic,
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  Speaker 2: not surprising with the outcome. And I hopefully would lead
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  Speaker 2: to maybe some more substantial opportunities for conversation for us
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  Speaker 2: to strengthen our North American trade agreements rather than talk
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  Speaker 2: about these types of things that aren't real in any way.
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  Speaker 1: So why do you think he even considered it, mused
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  Speaker 1: about it, proposed it? I mean, you've called the Belarusian
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  Speaker 1: fertilizer blood potash. because of the proxy nature of Lukashenko
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  Speaker 1: to Vladimir Putin in Russia and all of that. I mean,
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  Speaker 1: why do you think the U.S. is looking at a
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  Speaker 1: proxy state of Russia as a viable alternative to Canada?
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  Speaker 2: I don't know why the President of the United States
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  Speaker 2: takes a number of policy positions. And so that would
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  Speaker 2: be very difficult for me to surmise outside of, you know,
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  Speaker 2: maybe some pressure in the midterms from some of the
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  Speaker 2: Midwestern agricultural states or or what that might be. However,
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  Speaker 2: the statement wasn't realistic from the very beginning, or the
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  Speaker 2: initiative wasn't realistic, nor was it ethical. When you look
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  Speaker 2: at sourcing a product like potash from a trustworthy trading
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  Speaker 2: partner like Canada and Saskatchewan, provides a reliable supply, has
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  Speaker 2: all of the infrastructure set up to provide that supply,
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  Speaker 2: and is going to have more potash available in the
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  Speaker 2: years ahead, it only makes sense to do to do
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  Speaker 2: business not only with potash, I would say, but with
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  Speaker 2: many other products as well that are covered under the
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  Speaker 2: current KUSMA deal and hopefully what will be a renewed
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  Speaker 2: KUSMA deal in the weeks and months ahead. So I
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  Speaker 2: don't know why those statements are made. They weren't realistic
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  Speaker 2: from the beginning. They aren't ethical. That initiative is not
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  Speaker 2: ethical in any way. Forty countries have realized so. Maybe
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  Speaker 2: the U.S. has today.
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  Speaker 1: It is a remarkable thing to see, though, that, you know,
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  Speaker 1: the man holding the office that people historically have described
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  Speaker 1: as the leader of the free world, biggest trading partner,
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  Speaker 1: most powerful country in NATO, musing about an economic arrangement
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  Speaker 1: that could ultimately lead to the funneling of cash to
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  Speaker 1: Russia to help with the war effort, right? I mean,
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  Speaker 1: it is an alarming and telling moment when you look
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  Speaker 1: beyond sort of whether or not Belarus could even supply
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  Speaker 1: the potash if it wanted to. It really is.
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  Speaker 2: And in this case, you know, we're aware that it
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  Speaker 2: wasn't a realistic initiative from the very beginning, but it
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  Speaker 2: is cause for us as Canadians to, you know, constantly
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  Speaker 2: be looking in the mirror at, you know, how are
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  Speaker 2: we accessing our allied nations around the world, you know,
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  Speaker 2: providing what we provide, whether it's energy security, food security,
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  Speaker 2: that's what we do in Saskatchewan. But how are we
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  Speaker 2: accessing those markets through port infrastructure, through rail infrastructure, through
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  Speaker 2: trade agreements? And, you know, that's why we've been trying
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  Speaker 2: to do our level best to work across party lines, arguably,
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  Speaker 2: with the federal government to advance some of the trade
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  Speaker 2: agreements and utilizing some of the relationships that we have
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  Speaker 2: built from a provincial perspective in countries around the world.
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  Speaker 2: We do have an opportunity to become much more resilient
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  Speaker 2: economically as a nation, but also, I would say, as
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  Speaker 2: society in Canada, given what we're facing with a pretty
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  Speaker 2: challenging discussion with our largest trading partner, the South. That's
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  Speaker 2: hard to realize at this point in time, but I
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  Speaker 2: truly believe it to be true.
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  Speaker 1: But, you know, you mentioned earlier that hopefully this could
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  Speaker 1: lead to some more serious and more fruitful talks with
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  Speaker 1: the United States and progress on Kuzma in the weeks
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  Speaker 1: and months ahead. I mean, it doesn't seem like there's
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  Speaker 1: much happening, if anything, at all right now. And as
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  Speaker 1: you listen to things like the way the president reacted
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  Speaker 1: to this deeper engagement with the European Union, threatening tariffs
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  Speaker 1: and cutting off trade, Is there any part of your
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  Speaker 1: mind that wonders if it's even worth going back to
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  Speaker 1: the table with President Trump, given that his word doesn't
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  Speaker 1: seem to last? And even now, we're in this trade
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  Speaker 1: war because of the breach by the U.S. of the
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  Speaker 1: trade deal they signed. I mean, is there a part
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  Speaker 1: of you that thinks, how do you even trust them
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  Speaker 1: right now?
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  Speaker 2: Well, I don't think the president is approaching his relationship
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  Speaker 2: with Canada or any country around the world in the
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  Speaker 2: eye of that he needs to increase his friend circle.
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  Speaker 2: He's not looking for friends. He's looking to win in
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  Speaker 2: any negotiation that he can enter into. A win for Canada,
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  Speaker 2: I believe, would be some trade certainty with our largest
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  Speaker 2: trading partner, which is the United States of America. That
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  Speaker 2: is a trade relationship that is much larger than the
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  Speaker 2: current president of the United States of America. or for
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  Speaker 2: that matter, much larger than any currently elected person in Canada,
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  Speaker 2: the US, including myself. We need to realize that we
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  Speaker 2: do have a responsibility to preserve and advance that relationship
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  Speaker 2: on behalf of people that work in literally every industry
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  Speaker 2: across this nation. And so we may not like who
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  Speaker 2: we're dealing with. We may not trust who we're dealing with.
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  Speaker 2: We may not think that we could ever be friends
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  Speaker 2: with the guy we're dealing with. None of that matters
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  Speaker 2: when you're in an elected position. You have a responsibility
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  Speaker 2: to advance Canadians' opportunity, and in this case with our
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  Speaker 2: largest trading partner that has a fairly challenging person at
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  Speaker 2: the helm right now, to say the very least. And
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  Speaker 2: so that's what we're trying to do, not only with
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  Speaker 2: our relationship as Canadians in the U.S., but with our
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  Speaker 2: relationship as Canadians with many other trading partners around the world.
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  Speaker 2: And I just would go back to Saskatchewan. does trade
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  Speaker 2: with 163 countries each and every year. And so we
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  Speaker 2: do have relationships that we can be of assistance with
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  Speaker 2: the federal government in building our stature and our credibility
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  Speaker 2: in the U.S., yes, but globally as well.
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  Speaker 1: Look, I get that you kind of have to swallow
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  Speaker 1: hard and do the good work sometimes, right, in dealing
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  Speaker 1: with people you may not necessarily like or approve of.
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  Speaker 1: But at the end of a process like that would
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  Speaker 1: be a compact in some way that would be binding
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  Speaker 1: on both sides. And it is hard to see anything
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  Speaker 1: being binding for the remainder of the Trump presidency because
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  Speaker 1: we've already seen it with us and other countries. He's
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  Speaker 1: willing to violate it. So, I mean, just as a
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  Speaker 1: final point, Premier, like, how do we move past that
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  Speaker 1: as a country? when I'm not sure that dynamic is
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  Speaker 1: going to change until at least the next president.
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  Speaker 2: All of those statements are correct, but it doesn't mean
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  Speaker 2: that you don't quit trying to improve the opportunity for Canadians.
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  Speaker 2: You have to keep trying. It means you're at a
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  Speaker 2: table and you come to an agreement and that agreement
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  Speaker 2: changes six months after that. You still have to try.
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  Speaker 2: That's the responsibility of putting your name on the ballot
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  Speaker 2: and being an elected member is that you are constantly
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  Speaker 2: working with whatever environment you're presented with and I'm not
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  Speaker 2: here to say that this one is not challenging. It
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  Speaker 2: is challenging dealing with the President of the United States,
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  Speaker 2: all sorts of challenges, and having a binding agreement and
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  Speaker 2: an agreement that you can trust is going to be
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  Speaker 2: adhered to. That is a challenge, but it doesn't mean
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  Speaker 2: you don't try. And that is what we need to
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  Speaker 2: continue to do as a subnational government is to support
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  Speaker 2: our federal government at that table and any other table
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  Speaker 2: around the world. We've faced tariffs from other countries, even
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  Speaker 2: when we had trade agreements that have impacted Saskatchewan. on
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  Speaker 2: numerous occasions in the nine years that I've been in
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  Speaker 2: this position. We've been able to work our way through
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  Speaker 2: most of those, and we need to do that with
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  Speaker 2: the United States of America.
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  Speaker 1: Now, too. Premier Scott Moe of Saskatchewan, I always appreciate
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  Speaker 1: the time. Please come back during the next potash crisis
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  Speaker 1: we have with some country that can't do it. We
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  Speaker 1: appreciate you joining us today, sir.