Saskatchewan NDP Leader Carla Beck says she opposes the carbon tax and the federal NDP agreement to uphold the Liberal government, but Premier Scott Moe says her attendance at an Ottawa event suggests otherwise.In a tweet on Sunday, Moe wrote,"SK NDP Leader Carla Beck took three days off last week to fly to Ottawa to attend a Canadian Labour Congress meeting to plot strategy to get the Trudeau-NDP government re-elected."Don’t believe the SK NDP when they tell you they don’t support Trudeau, Singh and the carbon tax.".However, at a media event on Monday, Beck said the meetings were about jobs and the economy, not election strategizing."From the very first day that I took over leadership of the party, we said very clearly where there's disagreement with any party in Ottawa, regardless of who's in power, we are going to make that known," Beck said."I did not meet with the Prime Minister. But, as I've said, from the front of the room at SARM (Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities), at SUMA (Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association), every conversation that I've had with with Jagmeet Singh or any federal leader, any federal minister, is this: the consumer carbon tax is simply not on for us."Beck last week saw her first personal meeting with Singh, but on every previous phone call she had made her opposition to the carbon tax clear to him. She said she met with counterparts across party lines."We met with senators, we met with two staff, we met with a federal minister," Beck said."We also had meetings set up with two of the Opposition MPs who cancelled at the last minute. I did get an opportunity to speak with one of them at the House of Commons."The Western Standard asked Beck if she talked to Singh about the timing of the election and whether he should get out of the NDP agreement to prop up the Liberals."It's also very clear to, I think, to anyone that this supply and confidence agreement is not of benefit to us," Beck said."They have different needs and timing. My concerns are not in any way a surprise to Jagmeet, in saying things that we have discussed before. Again, we are two different parties at the provincial level. The Saskatchewan NDP, the Federal NDP, we have have different interests."However, Beck also welcomed other recent federal initiatives, such as the National School Food Program and free contraception and diabetes medication.On the floor of the legislature Monday, Sask Party MLA Terry Jenson (Martensville-Warman) accused Beck of being onside with the federal carbon tax and the coalition."Trudeau wants a government he can control like he controls Jagmeet Singh and the federal NDP. That’s exactly what an NDP government here would be. A vote for the NDP is a vote for Trudeau," Jenson said.Beck replied, "I had some great meetings in Ottawa. I met with Saskatchewan health care workers, those who work in uranium, those who work in oil and gas."I met with Jagmeet Singh and members of the federal government. And I let them know that we oppose the carbon tax, that the home heating carve-out is unfair and that we need a better deal on equalization. And I reached out to the Conservatives too, Mr. Speaker, but they couldn’t make the time."After question period Monday, Moe doubled down and said the meetings of the Canadian Labour Congress were a "call to arms" and "really a campaign school on how to campaign against Conservatives in every corner of this province.""We should not in this province be out attending campaign schools on how to keep Justin Trudeau in power. What we've seen with the Liberal-NDP minority administration in Ottawa and what we see across this country with Liberal and NDP parties is the NDP are doing nothing more than running errands for Justin Trudeau and the federal Liberal Party."A media contact for the NDP suggested the presence of Canadian Football League Players Association President Solomon Eliminian at the CLC meetings suggested they were not overtly political. The CFLPA joined the CLC on April 18, becoming the 49th union to do so. The CLC represents three million workers.
Saskatchewan NDP Leader Carla Beck says she opposes the carbon tax and the federal NDP agreement to uphold the Liberal government, but Premier Scott Moe says her attendance at an Ottawa event suggests otherwise.In a tweet on Sunday, Moe wrote,"SK NDP Leader Carla Beck took three days off last week to fly to Ottawa to attend a Canadian Labour Congress meeting to plot strategy to get the Trudeau-NDP government re-elected."Don’t believe the SK NDP when they tell you they don’t support Trudeau, Singh and the carbon tax.".However, at a media event on Monday, Beck said the meetings were about jobs and the economy, not election strategizing."From the very first day that I took over leadership of the party, we said very clearly where there's disagreement with any party in Ottawa, regardless of who's in power, we are going to make that known," Beck said."I did not meet with the Prime Minister. But, as I've said, from the front of the room at SARM (Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities), at SUMA (Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association), every conversation that I've had with with Jagmeet Singh or any federal leader, any federal minister, is this: the consumer carbon tax is simply not on for us."Beck last week saw her first personal meeting with Singh, but on every previous phone call she had made her opposition to the carbon tax clear to him. She said she met with counterparts across party lines."We met with senators, we met with two staff, we met with a federal minister," Beck said."We also had meetings set up with two of the Opposition MPs who cancelled at the last minute. I did get an opportunity to speak with one of them at the House of Commons."The Western Standard asked Beck if she talked to Singh about the timing of the election and whether he should get out of the NDP agreement to prop up the Liberals."It's also very clear to, I think, to anyone that this supply and confidence agreement is not of benefit to us," Beck said."They have different needs and timing. My concerns are not in any way a surprise to Jagmeet, in saying things that we have discussed before. Again, we are two different parties at the provincial level. The Saskatchewan NDP, the Federal NDP, we have have different interests."However, Beck also welcomed other recent federal initiatives, such as the National School Food Program and free contraception and diabetes medication.On the floor of the legislature Monday, Sask Party MLA Terry Jenson (Martensville-Warman) accused Beck of being onside with the federal carbon tax and the coalition."Trudeau wants a government he can control like he controls Jagmeet Singh and the federal NDP. That’s exactly what an NDP government here would be. A vote for the NDP is a vote for Trudeau," Jenson said.Beck replied, "I had some great meetings in Ottawa. I met with Saskatchewan health care workers, those who work in uranium, those who work in oil and gas."I met with Jagmeet Singh and members of the federal government. And I let them know that we oppose the carbon tax, that the home heating carve-out is unfair and that we need a better deal on equalization. And I reached out to the Conservatives too, Mr. Speaker, but they couldn’t make the time."After question period Monday, Moe doubled down and said the meetings of the Canadian Labour Congress were a "call to arms" and "really a campaign school on how to campaign against Conservatives in every corner of this province.""We should not in this province be out attending campaign schools on how to keep Justin Trudeau in power. What we've seen with the Liberal-NDP minority administration in Ottawa and what we see across this country with Liberal and NDP parties is the NDP are doing nothing more than running errands for Justin Trudeau and the federal Liberal Party."A media contact for the NDP suggested the presence of Canadian Football League Players Association President Solomon Eliminian at the CLC meetings suggested they were not overtly political. The CFLPA joined the CLC on April 18, becoming the 49th union to do so. The CLC represents three million workers.
