Saskatchewan premier taps former MLA, MP to lead 'in-house' meetings on provincial autonomy

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe has asked a former Saskatchewan Party MLA and former MP who recently was a part of the Wexit movement to co-host "in-house" meetings about increasing Saskatchewan autonomy.

Allan Kerpan — who served in opposition with the Saskatchewan Party and was also a Reform MP — and veteran SP MLA Lyle Stewart (Thunder Creek) have been chosen by Moe to lead the closed-door meetings across the province this month.

"The premier has been speaking about some sort of independence from Ottawa for quite a while in terms of the economy," Kerpan told the CBC's Morning Edition host Ted Deller on Monday.

Kerpan said he and Moe have met over the last few months and is now being asked to "try to gauge the opinion and the feelings of people who live in our province."

He says after a couple of meetings a theme is emerging.

"People are saying be more Quebec-like — in other words, take back the powers to our province that were afforded to our province under the Constitution originally.

"I think [Quebec's] alienation probably with Ottawa was more cultural based. Ours is probably more economically-based, although culture comes into that as well."

In 2021-22, $3.46 billion, or 19.1 per cent of Saskatchewan's overall revenue, came through transfers from the federal government.

Kerpan said he is "not looking for Confederation to really change," but said Saskatchewan and all other provinces "could all be a nation within a nation." 

A national survey released in April asked whether respondents wanted their provinces to do more to develop an identity separate from Canada. In Saskatchewan, 40 per cent said they liked the status quo and 24 per cent said they wanted the province to do more to differentiate itself.

Kerpan says he does not support a separation movement.

"I am not interested in independence from Confederation, but I'm certainly very interested in some sort of independence from Ottawa," he said.

Kerpan hosted a series of town hall meetings in 2019, organized by Wexit Saskatchewan that asked: "Can Federation Be Fixed?"

At the time Kerpan said, "I would rather have a real hard look at a western, independent Saskatchewan than have to suffer through four more years of [Prime Minister Justin] Trudeau."