🗳 Rating rebound

Moe's approval rating rebounds following the election, Premiers meet with the Prime Minister to talk tariffs as Trump trolls, and $200,000 recruitment incentive for emergency docs.

December 12, 2024

December 12, 2024 | Advertise with us

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Good morning!

Here’s The SKoop for Thursday, December 12:

  • Moe’s approval rebounds after election,

  • Premiers meet with the Prime Minister to talk tariffs as Trudeau and Trump troll, and

  • Government announces $200,000 incentive to recruit emergency doctors.

Today’s Top Stories

Moe’s Premier approval rebounds following election

The Angus Reid Institute has released its anticipated quarterly Premier approval ratings and Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe garnered a post-election bump.

Manitoba Wab Kinew was the most positively appraised premier for the fifth quarter in a row. Two-thirds (67%) in Manitoba approve of Kinew’s performance as premier. A re-elected Tim Houston in Nova Scotia saw a double-digit poll bump to 55% approval, and newly-elected New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt is third on the podium at 54%. Doug Ford remains the least popular premier and yet is still on track to win a majority next year.

Moe survived the election with a narrower majority but sees his personal approval rise by 7% as he begins a new term. A slight majority (52%) in Saskatchewan approve of Moe.

The report read, “On election night, Moe conceded his government “must do better in health and education” as it faces a starkly divided province with all but one Saskatchewan Party MLA coming from outside of the now NDP-dominated cities of Saskatoon and Regina. Moe begins the new term with majority (52%) approval.”

Moe finished the year with the same approval he began his first term with at 52%. He is thirteen points lower than his peak approval in March 2020, and nine points higher than his lowest approval in September 2021. This end-of-year approval rating puts Moe back to where he was at this point at the beginning of the year.

Learn more about the great work the Saskatchewan Heavy Construction Association and its members are doing at saskheavy.ca.

Trudeau meets with Premiers to discuss US tariffs as Trump trolls

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and US President-elect Donald Trump.

The Premiers met with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau yesterday to discuss US President-elect Donald Trump’s proposed 25% tariffs on Canadian imports.

This was the second meeting on the issue of tariffs, but the first since Trudeau’s surprise dinner with Trump at Mara Lago.

The group will look to develop a strategy to deal with the new administration. Speaking at an event in Halifax last week, the Prime Minister singled out Scott Moe to praise the Saskatchewan Premier. Saying ‘he’s no fan of mine’, the Prime Minister told the audience, “His voice with governors down south, his making the case for Canadian workers and Canadian trade in a way that complemented the arguments that we were making, did a better job of showing what Canadian unity was and (what) Canada’s negotiating position could be to a United States that has a political system that is incredibly fractured and fractious,” Trudeau said of Moe.

The weather outside is cold, and apparently so is the relationship between Trudeau and Trump. The two world leaders have not been getting along in the media. Earlier this week, Trudeau called Kamala Harris’ defeat an ‘attack’ on women’s rights. Trudeau said, "It shouldn't be that way. It wasn't supposed to be that way. We were supposed to be on a steady, if difficult sometimes, march towards progress. And yet, just a few weeks ago, the United States voted for a second time to not elect its first woman president. Everywhere, women's rights and women's progress are under attack. Overtly, and subtly."

The US President has been trolling the Prime Minister online following Trudeau’s impromptu visit to Mara Lago last month. Earlier this week, Trump posted on Truth Social calling Trudeau the “Governor of the Great State of Canada.” This comes after Trump allegedly joked that if Canada cannot survive his tariffs, it should become the 51st state.

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Government announces $200,000 incentive to recruit emergency physicians

Health care is a top issue for Saskatchewan residents and the government continues to announce new incentives to attract emergency doctors.

Following the election, Premier Scott Moe said that he understood Saskatchewan people voted for change and that he would look to deliver in health care.

A new incentive of up to $200,000 over five years will be offered to support the recruitment of graduates in Emergency Medicine. The incentive includes both specialist Emergency Medicine physicians and Family Medicine physicians who pursue additional training in Emergency Medicine. 

Minister of Health Jeremy Cockrill said, "By attracting highly sought professionals with specialized skill sets who train here in our province, we are addressing current needs and supporting our physician workforce into the future. This investment reflects our commitment as part of our province's ambitious Health Human Resources Action Plan to recruit and retain the health professionals we need and enhance access to care for our residents." 

The recruitment initiative is also for medical students. Medical residents in their fourth and fifth years of Emergency Medicine, Anesthesia and Diagnostic Radiology programs can now receive a financial incentive of up to $60,000 over two years. This incentive of $30,000 per year is designed to support residents as they complete their training, with a commitment to work in Saskatchewan immediately following program completion.

Saskatchewan Health Authority CEO Andrew Will said, “By working collaboratively with educational institutions, communities and health system partners, we are addressing immediate workforce needs while planning for a stronger health system for the future."

Earlier this week the government announced they would construct a ‘patient-focused’ task force along with nursing unions.