Intergovernmental Affairs

Trade Policy

The Trade Policy Branch is responsible for the management of the government’s interests in international and internal trade negotiations, as well as coordination across ministries and negotiation of the government’s defense of provincial measures being challenged in international and domestic trade disputes. The specific role of the Trade Policy Branch is to:

• Initiate and coordinate the development and implementation of provincial policies on market access for exports from and imports into Saskatchewan with respect to goods, services, investment and labour;
• Negotiate the acceptance of those policies by, in the case of international trade, the federal government, and in the case of internal trade, both the federal and other provincial and territorial governments in Canada;
• Coordinate and lead the province’s participation in the resolution of trade disputes involving Saskatchewan measures; and
• Assist the provincial government, its ministries and agencies, in achieving their economic, social, environmental and Aboriginal development objectives through the instrument of trade policy.
  

International Relations

The International Relations Branch is responsible for the coordination, development and implementation of policies and programs for Saskatchewan’s relations with foreign governments and international organizations.  Provincial Ministries and Agencies consult with the International Relations Branch in the conduct of their international relations. The specific role of the International Relations Branch is to:

• Lead in the development, negotiation and implementation of multi-sectoral international agreements;
• Develop, coordinate and implement the government’s strategic framework for international relations, in collaboration with Ministries/Agencies;
• Staff the Premier and Minister on missions abroad involving intergovernmental and multi-sectoral interests;
• Co-manage, with the Protocol Office, the province’s International Visitors’ Program;
• Manage the province’s international development assistance initiatives; and,
• Provide strategic and operational advice and support to other Ministries/Agencies in pursuit of their international interests.

Federal-Provincial Relations
The Federal-Provincial Relations branch oversees the province's constitutional initiatives.

By strategically managing Saskatchewan's governmental partnerships within Canada, the branch advances our province’s economic, social and constitutional interests and also works to ensure that our province's values are recognized and reflected wihtin a strong, united Canadian federation.

Ongoing Initiatives

• Ensure that the Social Union Framework Agreement (SUFA) remains a viable component of the federal-provincial landscape. Intergovernmental Affairs has been very active in the three-year review, being undertaken on a federal-provincial basis, of the implementation of the SUFA.
• Assist the Ministry of Health in managing federal-provincial relations in the health care field, and also assist other ministries, such as Agriculture and Energy and Resources, in managing their intergovernmental agendas.
• Assist other provincial ministries and agencies to negotiate and resolve issues of a federal-provincial and international nature.