REGINA - The Saskatchewan government’s presence at COP28 in Dubai is under fire again from the New Democrats, this time over the $238,000 cost of advertising at the event.
It's the latest criticism raised from the Official Opposition, who had spent last week attacking the Sask Party government over the $765,000 cost of the Saskatchewan pavilion at the global climate change conference. More recently they also took aim at the large number of out-of-province organizations using the pavilion.
On Monday, focus shifted to the number of Saskatchewan ads placed on the Dubai metro line at stations for trains going in and out of COP28.
The ads, which have circulated on social media, promote the tagline “Strong. Sustainable. Saskatchewan,” and include messaging such as “Saskatchewan‘s Enhanced Oil Recovery efforts have sequestered 40 million tonnes of CO2.”
Those have also been criticized in social media posts by people accusing Saskatchewan of “greenwashing,” and of promoting oil and gas “industry spin brought to you on the Dubai metro," according to one comment on the X platform.
Thousands of kilometres away back in Regina on Monday, NDP Jobs Critic Aleana Young ridiculed the ads during Question Period as she roasted Minister of Trade and Export Development Jeremy Harrison.
“Thankfully they steer clear from this Premier’s actual thoughts on climate change: ‘I don’t care’,” said Young, as recorded in Hansard.
She called it “some of the most expensive metro advertising in the world right now” and demanded to know who was picking up the tab.
“Well, Mr. Speaker, I was hoping they would ask this question,” Harrison responded, “because I really want to talk about the message that we’re sharing around the world to literally tens if not hundreds of thousands of delegates from around the planet that are hearing first-hand the Saskatchewan story.”
“And here’s a story they don’t want told, Mr. Speaker, because Justin Trudeau doesn’t want the story told. Steven Guilbeault doesn’t want the story told. And the Sask NDP don’t want the story told. The only three groups, Mr. Speaker, that I know.”
Harrison then pointed to the messaging about Saskatchewan’s enhanced oil recovery efforts having sequestered 40 million tonnes of CO2. “That’s enough carbon to make 4.5 million homes energy neutral for one year,” he said.
Young continued to lambaste the Saskatchewan presence at COP28, accusing Premier Scott Moe of “living it up in Dubai with Jean Charest and Christy Clark,” referring to two participants at a panel discussion Moe had said he would be a part of.
Under further questioning from Young on the cost of the ads, Harrison confirmed that “$238,000, Mr. Speaker, is what we’re investing, and we are selling $53 billion of commodities around the world. That is a bargain as an investment. That story needs to be told. Our producers here in this province are creating the energy, the food, the fuel, the fertilizer around the world in the best way of any jurisdiction on the entire planet.
“They might be ashamed of that, Mr. Speaker, the only people who don’t want this story told at COP. The only people: Justin Trudeau, Steven Guilbeault, and the Sask NDP. I think I know which side I want to be on.”
That response drew this reaction from Regina Elphinstone-Centre MLA Meara Conway: “Wow, Mr. Speaker, a quarter of a million on metro ads in Dubai. From his lips to your ears. Chump change, I guess.”
In speaking to reporters after Question Period, Young made it known she thought the questions were legitimate.
“$238,000 is a lot of money,” said Young. She called it “another example of the steady drip-drip-drip of disorganization and the real lack of transparency that we are seeing when it comes to this trip. First, it was $700-odd-thousand dollars for the booth, now it is $238,000 for a week’s worth of ads on public transit in Dubai. We’re already up to nearly $1 million and the Premier’s barely checked into his hotel.”
Young called the cost a “very reasonable thing to ask questions about” and added: “I think it is eminently reasonable to have some questions, especially during a generational affordability crisis.”
In speaking to reporters about the metro ads, Harrison noted there was similar advertising placed at Dubai airport as well. The “sustainable Saskatchewan” ads have also shown up at Canadian airports over the past year.
Harrison said these ads were a good fit for the conference.
“It’s about us telling our sustainable story of production of resources here whether it be in the ag sector, the potash sector, the energy sector.”
Harrison said that the $238,000 cost is included within the larger advertising budget of about $2 million already set aside by Trade and Export Development. Harrison also confirmed there were travel expenses and that also came out of the existing appropriation by Trade and Export Development.
As for the various comments on social media about the pavilion, Harrison said he had seen some good ones, but he was dismissive of the not-so-good ones from opponents.
“I’m sure there are left wing trolls on there doing their thing, that’s what they do. I don’t particularly care because Twitter ('X') is not real life.”
As for critics who say the ads are “greenwashing”, Harrison took aim at “the federal Liberals, (and) the NDP who don’t like the fact that Saskatchewan is out there talking about sustainable energy and resource production, because they don’t actually like energy and resource production. That’s why we’re hearing the criticism that we are.
“The Sask NDP can call it greenwashing or fossil-washing, whatever they call it — I don’t particularly care. We’re going to go out there because this is what we do here. We produce energy, we produce resources, we produce food, we sell it around the world, and we do it better than anybody else, and we make no apologies for that, no matter what the Saskatchewan NDP want to call it.”
