Manitoba ready to challenge carbon pricing plan

Manitoba became the second province Thursday to raise the spectre of a court challenge against the federal government’s carbon-pricing plan.

Premier Brian Pallister said he is seeking a legal opinion on whether the federal government has the constitutional authority to force provinces to either impose a price on carbon or set up a cap-and-trade system.

“In particular, that legal opinion will focus on whether the federal government can limit the exercise of provincial jurisdictions to only two options — cap and trade, and carbon tax — without accommodating other provincial measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” Pallister said.

The premier said Manitoba should get credit for billions of dollars spent building up a hydroelectric system that provides 98 per cent of the province’s electricity. Had Manitoba adopted cheaper, fossil-fuel power generation like some other provinces have, he said emissions would be more than double the current 21 megatonnes a year.

“We take some exception to the federal government not recognizing the work that Manitoba and Manitobans have already done on this important file.”

Saskatchewan has already threatened to challenge the carbon pricing plan in court, saying it doesn’t take into account measures taken to reduce emissions such as the province’s carbon capture facility.

“The concerns about recognition (in Manitoba) are very similar to that here in Saskatchewan, as well as the concern about having some degree of latitude to work within your province, not picking one of two different models,” Saskatchewan Environment Minister Scott Moe said Thursday.

Eleven provinces and territories agreed to the carbon price plan in December when they signed the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change. Saskatchewan and Manitoba have not.