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VANCOUVER – Brad Wall says Saskatchewan will play a “constructive role” when the premiers sit down today in Vancouver with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to discuss climate change policies.

The first ministers’ meeting has taken on a fractious atmosphere this week amid squabbling over who was invited to the table, pipeline politics and a dispute over carbon pricing.

Wall has been in the thick of the fray in the lead-up to today’s formal sit-down, repeatedly levelling broadsides at the Liberal platform promise of putting a national price on carbon.

Expectations for the meeting – Trudeau’s second with the premiers since taking office in early November – have been repeatedly lowered and the goal now is to find a common front in continuing a process toward a national policy framework.

READ MORE: ‘Nothing about us, without us’: First Nations want say in climate change policy

Four working groups will be set up with six-month deadlines to assess policy options, including a group that will study Canada’s various existing carbon pricing systems.

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Wall tells The Canadian Press that Saskatchewan officials will “absolutely, absolutely” be participating in the working groups, dismissing talk that the province might boycott the carbon talks.

“We’ll play a constructive role,” Wall said late Wednesday following a meeting between the premiers, indigenous leaders and Trudeau.

“We’ll have a good day.”

There were clearly diverse opinions among indigenous leaders following Wednesday’s meeting with Trudeau and the provinces.

Natan Obed, president of the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, called it a “very productive” exercise because it’s been agreed that indigenous peoples will be part of the working groups setting out policy options.

Several participants cautiously called the meeting a start.

“We didn’t deal with anything of substance,” said Clement Chartier of the Metis National Council. “We dealt with process.”