Regina, Saskatoon mayors say secession talk 'deeply concerning' and a 'non-starter' after Trudeau calls

Regina Mayor Michael Fougere said he used a Tuesday phone call with Justin Trudeau to urge the prime minister to work with Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe on issues facing Western Canada.

"I think [Trudeau] acknowledges clearly that the election result has shown there's some deficiencies in his policy and his approach," Fougere said of the conversation.

"There are some significant issues that have been ignored or he's under-performed on, that have hurt our economy fundamentally. The oil and gas industry has been crippled by thousands of layoffs and job losses and companies folding and no real strategy of how to deal with that."

The informal discussion between mayor and prime minister covered a wide range of topics, including the ousting of Ralph Goodale from parliament, infrastructure, climate change and the province's oil, gas, energy and agricultural sectors, Fougere said.

Trudeau's Liberals lost their majority in the Oct. 21 election and were voted out of Alberta and Saskatchewan entirely.

Long-time Regina MP and former cabinet minister Ralph Goodale lost his seat, which means Saskatchewan has no representation in government or cabinet. Fougere said Trudeau is considering options to remedy the situation but did not share details.

"I think we need to have someone in cabinet who represents Saskatchewan in some way, be it a senator or some other way to do that — but he needs to make that happen," Fougere said.

The Regina mayor said he has heard from people who are frustrated, upset and concerned and he relayed those concerns to Trudeau. 

Fougere said separation is a non-starter from his point-of-view.

Trudeau also spoke with Saskatoon mayor Charlie Clark on Tuesday. Clark said he wanted to convey to the prime minister some of the frustrations he's hearing in the Bridge City and the rest of the province. 

Clark said talk of western separation is "deeply concerning."

"For me, it's very important that we work together toward a unified country," Clark said. 

"I believe that talk about separation is damaging to both us as citizens of Saskatoon as well as the unity of our country, and we must act quickly to address this," a statement from Clark's office said of his conversation with Trudeau. 

Jeremy Harrison, Saskatchewan's minister of trade and economic development, said Saskatchewan doesn't have an issue with Trudeau meeting with municipal leaders.

Harrison did stress that the government would be "highly opposed" to a formal agreement that would see the Prime Minister's Office bypass elected premiers in favour of working with municipal leaders.

"That's not how the country works," said Harrison.

"Just because the prime minister doesn't like the positions of [Saskatchewan] Premier [Scott] Moe and [Alberta] Premier [Jason] Kenney, doesn't mean he shouldn't be working through them and talking to them."