FEDERAL BUDGET 2018
Full coverage of Liberal plan
Premier Scott Moe is disappointed the 2018-19 federal budget will pay for what he is calling “carbon cops.”
Ottawa’s $338.5 billion in spending on its $18.1-billion deficit budget includes money to “implement, administer and enforce the federal carbon pollution pricing system.”
Moe said the $109 million spent over five years on that initiative is “essentially for carbon cops, to look at jurisdictions that are not implementing this ill-conceived carbon tax, and Saskatchewan will be one of those jurisdictions.”
As it stands now, Saskatchewan is the only province that has not yet signed on to a federal carbon pricing scheme. Instead, Moe has continued to staunchly oppose putting a federally imposed price on carbon emissions.
Despite that opposition, Moe reiterated Tuesday plans to seek funding from Ottawa to reduce carbon emissions.
Wednesday marks the federal deadline for the province to sign on to the national climate change framework and, by extension, access about $60 million over five years that the feds suggest is attached to that agreement.
Moe said there are “more dollars that are being allocated for policing a carbon pricing system than there actually is ... for the low-carbon economy fund that Saskatchewan will be attempting to access in the months ahead.”
He said the province requires the investment from the federal government to lower its emissions, and that the province “always anticipated” accessing the funds.
Even though the province may not be eligible to apply for the funding without signing on to the federal plan, Moe said the province is “expecting to be approved for that” because “we’re part of the nation of Canada, we’re eligible to apply.”
NDP interim opposition leader Nicole Sarauer said she was most concerned Moe’s Saskatchewan Party government was “essentially walking away from” the federal funding.
“All they’re really doing for us is losing us $62 million and getting us a federally imposed carbon tax,” she said, adding the premier has been all “grandstanding and tantrums” when he “needs to ensure we won’t be the only province with a federally imposed carbon tax.”
Overall, the premier was receptive to the federal budget, although he said more information is needed on certain files before knowing what the “true benefit” would be for Saskatchewan. He highlighted spending for more RCMP officers and water infrastructure on First Nations as positives.
With the province’s own budget being introduced on April 10, Finance Minister Donna Harpauer spoke positively of the “status quo” federal spending plan.
“I do not have to go back and sharpen my pencil to change our budget in any way,” she said.
One of the main features of the federal budget was the inclusion of policy to close the wage gap between men and women by legislating equal pay for equal work — a measure that has been law in Saskatchewan since 1999.