Scott Moe facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Honourable Scott Moe MLA
15th Premier of Saskatchewan
Incumbent
Assumed office February 2, 2018
Monarch	Elizabeth II Charles III
Lieutenant Governor	W. Thomas Molloy Russell Mirasty
Deputy	Gordon Wyant Donna Harpauer
Preceded by	Brad Wall
Leader of the Saskatchewan Party
Incumbent
Assumed office January 27, 2018
President	James Thornsteinson
Preceded by	Brad Wall
Saskatchewan Executive Council Minister of Environment In office August 23, 2016 – August 30, 2017 Premier Brad Wall Preceded by Herb Cox Succeeded by Dustin Duncan In office June 5, 2014 – May 21, 2015 Premier Brad Wall Preceded by Ken Cheveldayoff Succeeded by Herb Cox Minister of Advanced Education In office May 21, 2015 – August 23, 2016 Premier Brad Wall Preceded by Kevin Doherty Succeeded by Bronwyn Eyre
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan for Rosthern-Shellbrook
Incumbent
Assumed office November 7, 2011
Preceded by	Denis Allchurch
Personal details
Born	(1973-07-31) July 31, 1973 (age 51) Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada
Political party	Saskatchewan Party
Spouse	Krista Moe
Children	2
Residences	Shellbrook, Saskatchewan, Canada

Scott Moe (born July 31, 1973) is a Canadian politician. He is the 15th and current premier of Saskatchewan. He has held this role since February 2, 2018. He is also a member of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan (MLA). He represents the area of Rosthern-Shellbrook. He was first elected in 2011.

Before becoming Premier, Moe was part of the Saskatchewan Party government. He served as a minister from 2014 to 2017. He was the Minister of Environment twice. He also served as the Minister of Advanced Education. In January 2018, he became the leader of the Saskatchewan Party. He led the party to win the provincial elections in 2020 and 2024. This marked the party's fourth and fifth wins in a row.

During his time as Premier, Scott Moe has often disagreed with the Canadian federal government. He challenged federal carbon pricing in court. He has also asked for more powers for Saskatchewan. These include areas like policing and taxes. His time in office also included the COVID-19 pandemic. Saskatchewan was greatly affected by the pandemic. Moe focused on limiting public health rules. He was the first premier to lift these rules twice.

Recently, Moe has used more populist ideas. This has led to new laws. Examples include the Saskatchewan First Act and the Parents' Bill of Rights.

Early Life and Career

Scott Moe was born in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. He is the oldest of five children. He grew up on a farm near Shellbrook, Saskatchewan. After high school, he went to the University of Saskatchewan. He earned a science degree in agriculture.

In the 1990s, Moe and his wife started a farming business. They bought equipment and rented land. He also owned gas stations and a pharmacy. Later, he worked selling farm equipment in Alberta. He returned to Saskatchewan in 2003. He has been involved in community projects. These include helping with economic development. He also worked to attract doctors to rural areas.

Political Journey

Becoming an MLA and Minister

Moe was first elected as an MLA in 2011. He won the Rosthern-Shellbrook riding for the Saskatchewan Party. He won against the person who held the seat before him.

He joined different committees in the legislature. On June 5, 2014, he became a minister. He was the Minister of Environment. He also oversaw SaskWater and the Water Security Agency. In May 2015, he became the Minister of Advanced Education.

Moe was re-elected in 2016. In August 2016, he returned to his role as Minister of Environment. It was during this time that he gained national attention. In October 2016, he protested a federal plan for a carbon tax. He walked out of a meeting with the federal Environment Minister. He said the federal plan was like a "national energy program 2.0." This started a long disagreement between Saskatchewan and the federal government over the tax. Saskatchewan refused to sign a climate change agreement because of the carbon pricing. This meant the province missed out on federal funding.

Leading the Saskatchewan Party

In 2017, the Premier at the time, Brad Wall, announced he was retiring. This started a race to become the new leader of the Saskatchewan Party. On September 1, 2017, Scott Moe started his campaign. Many members of the government supported him.

Moe promised to balance the budget by 2019. He also promised to put more money back into schools. He wanted to remove a sales tax on certain insurance products. He also focused on trade and exports. He promised to keep fighting against the federal carbon tax.

On January 27, 2018, Scott Moe was elected the new leader. He won with 54% of the votes.

Premier of Saskatchewan (2018–Present)

Moe with Andrew Scheer in November 2019.

Scott Moe became Saskatchewan's 15th Premier on February 2, 2018. He then chose his first group of ministers. For a while, Moe was one of the most popular premiers in Canada. His popularity changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it later went back up.

Moe led the Saskatchewan Party to win the 2020 provincial election. He had thought about calling an early election. But he changed his mind when the pandemic started. His campaign focused on economic recovery. He promised not to close businesses again. He also aimed to balance the budget by 2024. The Saskatchewan Party won its fourth straight majority government. Moe was re-elected in his riding. In 2024, the party won again. This was their fifth win in a row. However, they lost many seats in the big cities.

Economic Plans

Moe's first actions as Premier included putting $30 million back into education. He also removed a sales tax on certain insurance. His 2018 budget had a deficit. This means the government spent more money than it collected. He also changed the Ministry of the Economy. It became the Ministry of Trade and Export Development. He has traveled to other countries for trade missions.

Moe later had to change his promise to balance the budget. In 2021, his finance minister said the budget would not be balanced by 2024. Moe explained that the economy was uncertain because of the pandemic.

Environment and Climate

Moe and the Saskatchewan Party have always opposed the federal carbon tax. This tax makes provinces pay for greenhouse gas pollution. Saskatchewan challenged this law in court in 2018. They argued it was against the constitution. Many people in Saskatchewan supported this challenge. In 2019, the Saskatchewan court upheld the federal law. Other provinces also challenged the law. In March 2021, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled the carbon tax was constitutional. After this, Moe said Saskatchewan would create its own carbon pricing plan. In 2023, Moe again spoke out against the carbon tax. He introduced a law to stop collecting the federal tax on natural gas bills.

Moe's approach to climate change focuses on technology. This includes carbon capture and storage. It also focuses on agriculture. This plan is called "Prairie Resilience." Some experts say it is not enough. They say it has not reduced the province's greenhouse gas emissions. Saskatchewan has the highest emissions per person in Canada. Moe also supports building new pipelines.

Relations with the Federal Government

Moe has often criticized the federal government. He wants Saskatchewan to have more control. After the 2019 federal election, Moe called for "A New Deal with Canada." He wanted a new way to share money with the federal government. He also wanted Saskatchewan to have more control over taxes and immigration. He pointed to Quebec's special powers as an example.

Moe has also criticized federal gun laws. His government passed a law to stop cities from making their own gun laws. In 2021, Moe again talked about more independence for Saskatchewan. He suggested Saskatchewan should be a "nation within a nation." He wanted more control over taxes and policing.

In 2022, Moe released a paper called "Drawing the Line." It talked about Saskatchewan's economy and independence. The paper said federal environmental policies could cost the province a lot of money. It also repeated Moe's wish for more provincial power. This paper was criticized by many experts. They said it ignored important economic facts. It also did not mention Indigenous peoples. The ideas from this paper became a law called the Saskatchewan First Act. This law aims to confirm the province's control over its natural resources.

Wascana Park Protests

In February 2018, people set up a teepee camp in Wascana Park. This park is near the Legislature. The protest aimed to raise awareness about anti-Indigenous racism. It also highlighted the high number of Indigenous children taken into care. The campers wanted changes to the welfare system. They also wanted updates to police laws.

Moe refused to meet with the protest organizers. He said the camp was breaking park rules. The government tried to evict the camp in June. Six people were arrested, and the camp was taken down. But the camp was set up again quickly. Moe asked the police to remove the camp again. Government representatives later met with organizers, but Moe did not join. The camp was eventually ordered to disband by a court. It ended on September 12, 2018. Organizers were disappointed that park rules seemed more important than their issues.

COVID-19 Pandemic Response

Saskatchewan's first COVID-19 case was in March 2020. The province closed many businesses to slow the virus. Most businesses reopened by July. In the fall, Moe promised not to have another "lockdown." He said it would hurt businesses. Saskatchewan was hit hard by a second wave of cases in late 2020. By early 2021, it had a very high case rate.

The province added new health measures. But Moe kept most businesses open at reduced numbers. Some businesses even said a stricter approach would be better. Despite keeping the economy open, Saskatchewan had many job losses. Moe's popularity dropped because of his handling of the second wave.

By May 2021, vaccines were widely available. Moe aimed to make Saskatchewan the first province to lift all health measures. On July 11, he announced all rules were lifted. He said vaccines would control the virus. However, by August, Saskatchewan had low vaccination rates. A fourth wave of cases began, mostly among unvaccinated people. Health experts asked for new health measures. Moe publicly rejected these requests. He said it would be "unfair" to vaccinated people. By early September, Saskatchewan's case rate was much higher than the Canadian average.

After weeks of refusing, Moe announced new measures on September 16, 2021. These included mask rules and a proof-of-vaccination system. Moe was criticized for waiting too long. He was also criticized for lifting all measures earlier. In October 2021, Moe admitted the province could have acted sooner. He apologized to those whose medical procedures were delayed.

Saskatchewan began sending ICU patients to Ontario to help its hospitals. Health professionals continued to ask for more action. They wanted gathering limits and other measures. In January 2022, a fifth wave of cases hit. Moe resisted calls for more health measures. He said gathering limits were not working in other provinces. On January 13, 2022, Moe announced he had tested positive for COVID-19.

On January 26, 2022, Moe said the province would likely end isolation rules in schools. He also said the proof-of-vaccination system would end. On January 29, Moe supported the "Freedom Convoy" protest. This protest wanted to end all COVID-related health measures. On February 2, Moe said Saskatchewan would end all measures "very soon." He said health orders were government limits on "rights and freedoms." Saskatchewan became the first province to lift all public health measures on February 28. By April, the province's hospitalization rate was much higher than others.

Personal Life

Scott Moe is married to Krista Moe. They have two children. Moe enjoys fishing and golfing.

Electoral History

Images for kids

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  Scott Moe

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  Moe with Andrew Scheer in November 2019.

See also

• List of premiers of Saskatchewan
• Saskatchewan Party