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The Trudeau government’s recognition that the collapse in the price of oil is a national challenge, requiring specific policy responses, has been welcomed by Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall.

As the National Post reported Thursday, Ottawa is concerned by the cascading effects of the price collapse on resource-dependent provinces and is in the early stages of pulling together a council of political and business leaders to address the problem.

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Wall said in an interview Thursday that he would like to see Ottawa move quickly to spend infrastructure and training funds in his province and neighbouring Alberta. He pointed out that the two provinces contribute $2.5 billion to Canada’s equalization program, which helps pay for services across the country.

“There’s a dissonance here — the government has to remember that this sector of the economy has paid a lot of bills in the past number of years — and it will do so again,” he said.