The Trudeau and Saskatchewan governments agreed to collaborate on environmental policies..On Wednesday, Federal Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said they need to “figure out” ways to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions.. Farm FieldsFarm fields .However, Saskatchewan and the federal government are far apart on a net-zero target, with the federal government at 2035 and Saskatchewan aiming for a “more realistic” target of 2050..“We need to be actually sitting down and having conversations about how we move these things forward,” said Wilkinson..“As somebody who grew up in this province, I bemoan the fact there seems to be this view that we can’t actually have an appropriate conversation.”.SaskPower said net-zero electricity by 2035 would be impossible if all coal-generated power needs to be replaced with lower carbon-emitting generation. .Saskatchewan is concerned about the Clean Electricity Standard and told Wilkinson it's not possible..“The federal government has a role to play in helping provinces make the kinds of changes that would need to be made in order to actually achieve the clean grid,” said Wilkinson.. Farm .“The work that we have to do on the grid is kind of the railroad of this century. It’s an enormous undertaking. It will only happen if we work together.”.Premier Scott Moe said the federal and provincial governments can achieve joint goals, such as with child care and the COVID-19 pandemic economic plan..“We’re all Canadian first,” said Moe..“We need to come back together as Canadians, to support one another and really put forward, and reinvent the great nation I believe we once were and can still be.”. Jim Reiter SP .Moe said there are areas of common interest, including carbon capture technology, small modular reactors, natural gas plants, and rare earth elements..Wilkinson was in Saskatchewan for the Cowessess First Nation solar power project, which will power approximately 2,500 homes..Minister of Energy and Resources Minister Jim Reiter and Wilkinson discussed the Saskatchewan First Act (SFA) and the province’s priorities..The SFA is amending the provincial Constitution unilaterally to “reassert the province’s jurisdiction over its natural resources.”.READ MORE Sask First Act measures ‘economic harm’ of fed's policies.Wilkinson said he read the SFA and is not opposed to it..“It’s all well and good for the province to actually say that the provincial jurisdiction is provincial jurisdiction,” said Wilkinson..“But at the end of the day, I think that the federation works best when we work together and I intend to continue to work collaboratively with my colleagues here in Saskatchewan.”
