Sask. wants fair treatment

Earlier this year, Saskatchewan submitted a plan to replace the federally-imposed carbon tax. Not only did this submission exceed the minimum standards, it exceeded those of other provincial plans that the Trudeau government has already approved and continues to support today. As the submission is structured, our plan’s standards would have exceeded those of provinces with similar plans until 2024.

After the federal government’s latest communication to provinces that it will again be moving the goalposts in 2023, there is no reason that Saskatchewan’s plan should not be approved and operational until that time.

This is not an unreasonable ask, as it is the very same opportunity the federal government has provided to New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.

Federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change Jonathan Wilkinson has stated on several occasions that he was willing to work with Saskatchewan on solutions on this file. The reality is that this is an empty statement.

While Minister Wilkinson continues to ignore letters from Saskatchewan, he tasked his officials with rejecting the submission without so much as a rationale or a statement of willingness to work together. This underscores the notion that the Trudeau government’s decision was arbitrary and political.

If the Trudeau government wants to take meaningful action in our nation, it must be equitable among provinces and that starts with approving Saskatchewan’s plan today.