Alberta Premier Rachel Notley says Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall is likely violating provincial trade agreements by trying to get a Calgary oil company to relocate to Saskatchewan.
“The efforts of the province of Saskatchewan at this point likely do violate the New West Partnership as well as the AIT [Agreement on Internal Trade],” Notley said at an announcement in Red Deer Thursday.
She also suggested the Saskatchewan premier may be hurting businesses in his own province that benefit from trade agreements that give them access to larger markets like Alberta.
“I would suggest that it wasn’t necessarily the wisest approach by the political leadership of Saskatchewan to do that,” Notley said.
“That [New West Partnership] trade agreement actually promotes back-and-forth business operations that contribute to prosperity on both sides of the border.”
The issue erupted Wednesday after it was revealed Wall sent a letter to Whitecap Resources, a company based in Calgary, offering incentives to move to Saskatchewan.
Wall said he has done nothing wrong.
“We’re going to tell that story; we’ve been doing this for a long time.,” Wall said Thursday.
“I ask companies every time we meet with them if they would move their headquarters or increase their presence, that’s why Mosaic is here, they moved their regional headquarters from the U.S.”
Notley said she would review the trade agreements with with Economic Development and Trade Minister Deron Bilous to see if Alberta needs to respond.