Saskatchewan Party MLA

Report from the Legislature

The people of Ontario have sent a clear message by electing a government that ran on not implementing an ineffective policy such as a made-in-Ottawa carbon tax scheme. It was hugely significant that Ontario now supports Saskatchewan’s position on the carbon tax and will intervene in Saskatchewan’s reference case at the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal. PEI has stated publicly that their plan will not include a carbon tax, so momentum against a carbon tax is growing. At the recent Council of Federation meeting, Premier Moe had bilateral discussions with several premiers about the carbon tax. Premier Moe made the point that just two or three provinces are compliant now, two are in court and the rest are probably not in compliance. We intend to fight this tax with every means at our disposal. We accept that climate change is happening, and humans are contributing to the warming of our planet. We’re fighting the carbon tax because, first of all, a carbon tax just doesn’t work. No jurisdiction in the world has imposed a carbon tax and seen a reduction in greenhouse gases because of that tax. We’re fighting the carbon tax because Saskatchewan’s economy is driven by export-oriented, energy intensive industries like agriculture. Energy, mining and agriculture are the trade-exposed pillars of our economy. They also happen to be among the biggest emitters of greenhouse gases. Nearly a quarter of our emissions in Sas- katchewan come from agriculture. A $50 per tonne carbon tax would cost our province $2 billion a year and agriculture would be hammered by that tax. The Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS) estimates that at $50 per tonne, a carbon tax will boost costs for producers by up $15 to $20 an acre. We don’t need taxes that put jobs and livelihoods at risk by driving opportunities to other countries. As more and more Canadians realize this, other provinces are likely to join Saskatchewan in standing up for their citizens by saying no to an ineffective tax from Ottawa.