PMO reaffirms collaboration with provinces after Moe meeting

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sat down together on November 12in Ottawa, but the Premier said he was "disappointed" by it.

The Prime Minister's Office released a statement instead saying the meeting was spent discussing important priorities and reaffirming his commitment to work collaboratively with the provincial government.

Trudeau alsothanked Premier Moe for intervening on the side of the federal government in the British Columbia court of Appeal for the Trans Mountain Pipeline case, the statement said, and reminded the Premier that over 2,000 people are working on the construction in Alberta and B.C.

The Prime Minister highlighted four other energy projects that the government supports, including Keystone XL, Line 3, LNG Canada and the Manitoba-Minnesota Transmission Line, showing Ottawa's support of the energy industry in western Canada, the statement said.

The statement said Trudeau reminded Moe that the equalization formula is the same as the previous federal government and suggested Moe work with other Premiers to gain consensus on potential changes to the formula.

After the meeting, Moe told reporters that equalization is "flawed" and needs amendments.

The two also discussed ensuring market access for Canadian agricultural products in China and diversifying international trade, the statement said.

Trudeau said he's looking forward to hearing about he discussions from the Premiers' meeting in December and to seeing Moe at the First Ministers' Meeting in the new year.