In calling for 'nation within a nation,' Sask.'s Scott Moe aims to emulate Quebec's policy control

When explaining his "nation within a nation" comment this week, Premier Scott Moe signalled he wants his province to get the same policy control that Quebec has over immigration and child care.

In the last two years, Moe has pushed for increased control over immigration, extending the province's international presence and, more recently, greater control over child care funding from Ottawa.

Those are areas in which Saskatchewan would be increasing autonomy and aiming to "flex our provincial muscles," Moe said earlier this week.

Last month's throne speech indicated Moe's government wants to "build a stronger, more independent Saskatchewan within Confederation."

On Tuesday afternoon, the premier said he is "not talking about separation. We are talking about being a Saskatchewan cultural identity within the nation of Canada — but being a nation within a nation."

The Opposition NDP accused Moe of trying to create a distraction from his Saskatchewan Party government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

When asked by reporters what makes Saskatchewan a "nation," Moe said language was not the "only indicator of culture."

After his comment, Moe did not demand the province be identified as a nation based on culture or history. He did not explain how Indigenous people or the treaties fit into his idea of a Saskatchewan "nation."

Rather, Moe's focus was on areas he wants Saskatchewan to have more influence over its "destiny" through various policies, including immigration and child care spending.

The government's growth plan calls for Saskatchewan to add 225,000 thousand people to its population, to reach 1.4 million by 2030.

This would need to be accomplished through increased immigration.

In December 2019, Moe said he wanted Saskatchewan to have "a larger role in the selection and the criteria in our immigration policy."

At that time he said he wanted the same deal Quebec has — a demand he repeated this week.

"Quebec has a very different agreement when it comes to immigration with the federal government than we do here in the province of Saskatchewan. We want that agreement," Moe said Tuesday.