Carney to meet premiers in Saskatchewan June 2 amid tensions with the West

Prime Minister Mark Carney will meet with the country's premiers early next month in Saskatchewan — as frustrations with Ottawa simmer for some western leaders.

After Ontario Premier Doug Ford first told reporters about the upcoming meeting, the Prime Minister's Office confirmed Carney will travel to Saskatoon June 2 for a face-to-face meeting.

Ford, who took part in a conference call with Carney and the other premiers Wednesday, called the field trip meeting an "olive branch" to the West and a step in uniting the country.

"I said it is time that your government starts showing some love to Saskatchewan and Alberta because as I said, the last prime minister showed no love," Ford said.

"They have been treated terribly, to be very frank, and I think the new prime minister understands that and he will be out there having a great conversation."

After Carney's comeback win last week, the fourth consecutive Liberal government, the Alberta and Saskatchewan premiers called for a reset in how Ottawa treats the western provinces.

The day after the election, which saw the Liberals return with a minority government, Premier Scott Moe held a news conference where he said Ottawa needs to better "engage and consult" Saskatchewan on legislation and policies, including clean energy regulations and carbon pricing.

One province over, secession talk is bubbling to the surface. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has said she personally does not support her province separating from the federation, but she is proposing to lower the number of signatures needed to put a referendum on the ballot in 2026.

WATCH | How is Alberta changing its referendum process?:

Premer Danielle Smith says she wants to see more citizen-initiated referendum questions on the ballot, through changes proposed in Bill 54, the Election Statutes Amendment Act. Here's how experts explain this approach, its benefits and pitfalls.

Ford said premiers did not raise the referendum talk with Smith on the call.

"I always say, united we stand and divided we fall. That was my message today," he said.

He said it's on Carney to "show some love" to the West.

"Let's start diversifying our trade when it comes to oil," he said. "Let's start building pipelines west, east, north and south as well."

One of Carney's electoral promises is to make Canada what he calls an energy "superpower" and speed up infrastructure projects.

During his own news conference on the West Coast, British Columbia Premier David Eby reiterated that secession "is a non-starter" in his province and urged Moe and Smith to "push back strongly" against any separatist sentiment.

"You've got a couple of conservative premiers in Saskatchewan and Alberta, their preferred candidate was not successful in the federal election. They have strong bases of support for conservatives in those provinces, they're navigating tricky waters," he said.

"Take the moment to defend our country."

WATCH | Ford says he's not sure he could show same restraint as Carney:

After a meeting with Canada’s premiers and the prime minister, Ontario Premier Doug Ford told reporters that he congratulated Prime Minister Mark Carney for how he handled his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump. Ford called it a ‘good start on a new relationship’ with the United States.

When asked about Smith's referendum legislation during a news conference in Washington on Tuesday, Carney, who grew up in her province, said Canada is stronger when the provinces work together.

"You can always ask a question, but I know what I would respond, clearly," he said.

The premiers' call with Carney comes a day after his high-profile and closely watched meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office. Ford said the premiers congratulated Carney on showing restraint.

"I don't think I'd have the restraint that he had yesterday to be very frank," said Ford. "I think everyone's feeling relatively good on the meeting yesterday. So that's a good start."

Trump and trade will likely dominate the upcoming first ministers' meeting. Carney has promised to lower interprovincial trade barriers by Canada Day.

"In the face of our immediate trade pressures, we're focused on building strength at home. That means launching big nation-building projects, removing internal trade barriers and building one Canadian economy," Carney posted on social media Wednesday afternoon.

"We agreed to meet in Saskatoon on June 2 to keep that work going — and keep building Canada strong."