According to Saskatchewan’s Trade and Export Minister, the province is considering trade missions to Japan and South Korea in an effort to expand the market for Saskatchewan canola, even after the opposition voiced concerns over travel expenses.

Opposition leader Ryan Meili calls the amount of money spent on travel ‘concerning’ and says reports show ministers flying first class overseas and staying at expensive hotels.

“There’s really some questionable choices,” Meili said. “The way we travel, the places we choose to go and the way that government chooses to travel sends a pretty big message.”

Meili pointed specifically to costs around a recent trip to Israel that he claims included $4000 flight tickets for each of the ministers involved, hotel stays in the $400 per night range and a bill over $20,000 for a minister’s recent two day trip to Ontario.

“You’ve got people here in Saskatchewan who they’re saying to they shut down STC, find a friend if you want to get to your health appointment, but for them they’re happy to travel first class, stay in the fanciest places and pass the bill onto us.”

Speaking after question period on Tuesday, Minister Jeremy Harrison defended the travel as necessary to forward Saskatchewan’s trade interests that he says the federal government has fallen behind on.

“We made a decision that we are going to engage as a province to defend and enhance those trade interests internationally, we’re going to continue to do that going forward,” Harrison said. “Is there a cost associated with that? There absolutely is, but we believe that that cost is one very much worth putting forward because of the benefits and because of how important it is to our economy.”

According to Harrison, the ongoing canola dispute with China is a key example of the reason for the province’s continuation of trade missions and other travel. He adds several more are in consideration to hype Saskatchewan canola in other Asian markets like South Korea and Japan as a result.

“We haven’t confirmed that yet but we’re going to take a hard look at that, and I think that might be a useful endeavor,” Harrison said. “We really do need to find new markets for canola given the fact that we have a huge impact on our canola exports with China’s decision not to accept canola imports.”

Meili questions the effectiveness of sending provincial representatives on major trade trips and considers many of the province’s numerous trips overseas and to other provinces as being distractions from other problems.

“They don’t want to talk about [their record], so a trip to China, a trip to India, a trip to the Phillipines, a trip to hang out with Doug Ford, that changes the channel for a day from actually answering for their own record.”