Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe is the first Canadian leader to step out and address the massive Freedom Convoy protests taking place in Ottawa and large cities all over the country.  In response Premier Moe has penned a letter pledging thanks to truckers and offering the protestors a reason to proclaim success.  Without committing to an exact date, Moe says Saskatchewan will soon be dropping all vaccine mandates.  He explains why that should happen, and why it won’t put residents at further risk.  Here’s a copy of the letter being widely circulated online.

A Message from Premier Scott Moe

I want to start with a clear and simple message to every Saskatchewan and Canadian trucker, farmer and individual that has contributed to keeping our communities operating over the last two years:

THANK YOU!!!

THANK YOU for delivering the food and household products we all use every day, the parts and equipment that keep our farms and industries running, and every other kind of goods and products you can imagine.

If you bought something today, a trucker delivered it.

So, THANK YOU!

You also deserve a special thank you for everything you have done over the past two year, since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the early days of the pandemic, when we did not know much about COVID-19, we shut a lot of things down and asked most people to stay home. But not truckers.  We asked you to keep working, despite the risk, because of how much we rely on you to keep our shelves stocked, our economy going and our communities open.

We asked truckers to do this because we needed you.  We all rely on you.  And what did you do?

Truckers stepped up and kept on hauling, they crossed provincial borders and they crossed the US border.  You did this prior to rapid tests, prior to early intervention treatments and prior to vaccines.  You took the necessary precautions, you kept yourselves and those around you safe, and you delivered the things the people in Saskatchewan needed to live.

I want to be clear on how I feel about vaccines.  I am fully vaccinated with my booster shot. This did not prevent me from recently contracting COVID-19, but I believe it did keep me from becoming sick.  in fact, I really had no symptoms at all, other than cabin fever from being stuck in my house for several days.

My experience was similar to many other vaccinated people. Vaccination does not keep you from contracting COVID-19, but it does prevent most people from becoming seriously ill.  That is why I will continue to encourage everyone to get vaccinated, because I do not want any of you to become seriously ill.

That said, because vaccination is not reducing transmission, the current federal border policy for truckers makes no sense. An unvaccinated trucker does not pose any greater risk of transmission than a vaccinated trucker.

However, the current federal policy does pose a significant risk to Canada’s economy and to the supply chain in our Saskatchewan communities, where you and I live. This federal policy will increase the cost of living, which is now rising at a rate that is creating significant hardship for many Canadians.

That is why my government supports your call to end the cross-border ban on unvaccinated truckers and it is why, in the not-too-distant future, our government will be ending our proof of negative test/proof of vaccination policy in Saskatchewan.

Scott Moe

Premier