Written by Discover Humboldt Staff

Not everyone was pleased with the Canadian Prime Minister’s travel itinerary for Monday’s visit to the province.

In a statement on social media, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe expressed disappointment that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau did not reach out to the Premier’s office about his visit to a rare earth elements processing plant in Saskatoon. 

“It’s disappointing because this is an area that the provincial and federal governments see eye to eye on, yet we were not aware of the Prime Minister’s visit. Saskatchewan has been advocating for increased investment in this area, and we hope that the Prime Minister will have news today - and into the future - on our applications before Natural Resources Canada.”

Moe went on to say it’s no surprise that Trudeau made his way to Saskatchewan, given the international focus on rare earth minerals as a valuable commodity. That interest was piqued by discussions between Trudeau and American and Mexican officials around North American energy security. Moe says it’s why Saskatchewan has been in meetings with high level American officials who have expressed interest in Saskatchewan resources. 

For its part, the Opposition New Democrats in the province accused Premier Moe of  fomenting division with the Federal Government - a move that serves no purpose in promoting Saskatchewan’s interests. 

A release by NDP Leader Carla Beck stated, “Rather than taking the opportunity to promote the potential of our rare earth elements and advocate for more investment, the Premier has once again made the story about his politics and his inability to work towards a stronger and united Saskatchewan in Canada. We raise our kids to behave like adults and Saskatchewan people - at a bare minimum - expect that from their Premier.”

On another front, Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations Chief Bobby Cameron expressed disappointment that the Prime Minister chose not to stop at the Star Blanket First Nation on Monday. The First Nation announced last week that a fragment of a child's jawbone was unearthed and ground-penetrating radar found two-thousand areas of interest. In a statement, Cameron said that a visit would have shown respect and compassion for residential school survivors, and that his tour showed his priorities were on the rare earth processing plant and its potential. Trudeau acknowledged the discovery of the partial remains was heartbreaking.