Newly elected Saskatchewan Party leader Scott Moe wasted no time making clear where his government will stand when it comes to the federal government's carbon tax: He will fight it as hard as his popular predecessor Brad Wall did.

"Mr. [Justin] Trudeau, if you're wondering how far I will go," Mr. Moe told delegates in his victory speech, pausing for effect. "Just watch me."

That, of course, was an echo of the phrase made famous by Mr. Trudeau's father, Pierre, during the October Crisis in 1970. Mr. Moe suggested that a confrontation of a different sort is on the horizon, this time over Ottawa's insistence that all 10 provinces have a carbon tax or an approved equivalent in place by year's end – something Mr. Wall had vowed to fight in court if necessary.

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"We will not impose a carbon tax on the good people of Saskatchewan," said Mr. Moe, who will become the province's 15th premier when he is sworn in next month. "I will always stand with Saskatchewan and with the people of Saskatchewan. We are a force to be reckoned with."

Mr. Moe was certainly not seen as the favourite coming into the convention. Both veteran Saskatchewan Party MLA Ken Cheveldayoff and Alanna Koch, who had recently served as a senior civil servant in Mr. Wall's office, were seen by many as front-runners for the job. Mr. Moe, who possesses a plain-spoken speaking style and a laid-back, agreeable manner, did have the support of 22 MLAs from the Saskatchewan Party caucus – the most of any of the five candidates – which should have been a sign that he had more going for him than some gave him credit for.

That matters little now anyway.

He takes over a government – and a province – that has its challenges. One of them will be assuming control at a time when Saskatchewan still remains economically vulnerable, having been hit hard by the downturn in oil prices, which remain low compared with the heady days – five, six, seven years ago – when oil revenues helped fill the province's coffers to overflowing.

Mr. Moe has vowed to eliminate the province's nearly $700-million deficit before the next election rolls around in 2020. It will likely mean more austerity budgets such as the one introduced by the government last spring.

During the nearly six-month campaign, Mr. Moe made growing the province's population, which is just more than one million people, a key goal – although it's hard to imagine there was a better pitchman for Saskatchewan over the past 10 years than Mr. Wall. Mr. Moe also vowed to bring back the PST exemption on crop, life and health, which the government had dropped in a belt-tightening move, angering farmers throughout the province.

He will also get stuck dealing with the dregs of a questionable government land deal. It's been investigated by the RCMP and is now in the hands of prosecutors. There is a chance charges could get laid. No doubt, Mr. Wall's successor would have preferred this controversy not still be hanging around when he took over.

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The premier-designate will also have his hands full with another file: Indigenous peoples. Relations between the government and First Nations and Métis have not been good. On Monday, the trial begins into the shooting death of Colten Boushie, a 22-year-old First Nations man, in which a Saskatchewan farmer stands accused.

The sensational case has revealed a corrosive rift between First Nations communities and non-Indigenous people everywhere, especially in rural Saskatchewan. Some have suggested that racism itself is on trial. Security at the courthouse is expected to be heavy and the outcome of the case is expected to compel some kind of response from government as it pertains to the treatment of Indigenous peoples in the province.

Although Mr. Moe is seen as a Brad Wall devotee, it's unclear whether he will pick up where his predecessor left off in terms of his protracted feud with Alberta NDP Premier Rachel Notley. Mr. Wall had also taken shots at B.C.'s NDP government, saying both of those provinces were led by parties not comfortable, ideologically, cheerleading for the resource sector.

Asked if he can work with NDP governments to the West, he replied: "I hope so."

One thing is clear, Saskatchewan will continue to be led by a no-nonsense, committed conservative, with all that entails.