Saskatchewan will have carbon tax, Liberals say
REGINA Canada’s environment minister says Saskatchewan will be subject to a federal carbon tax if it doesn’t sign on to a national climate change plan by the fall.
Catherine McKenna says in a letter to her Saskatchewan counterpart, Dustin Duncan, that the province is best positioned to design a carbon-pricing approach that works for its situation.
“The other nine provinces have taken us up on that approach,” she wrote. “It’s unfortunate that your government has not yet chosen to do the same.
“I remain hopeful that you will change course ahead of the Sept. 1 deadline for all provinces and territories to submit their carbonpricing plans.”
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says the province has not changed its mind about being the lone holdout on Ottawa’s pan-Canadian climate-change framework.
“We stand in exactly the same situation for quite some time now,” Moe said in Regina on Monday.
Moe met with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday and the two “agree to disagree” on the carbon tax, he said.
McKenna said in her letter that Saskatchewan will be subject to a carbon tax, whether it signs on to the national plan or not.
“To be clear, we cannot accept your request not to price carbon in Saskatchewan,” she said. “In the event that your government does not adopt a price on pollution that meets our standard, we would have no choice but to ensure that a price on pollution applies in Saskatchewan, just as we would anywhere else in the country.”
The federal government would apply its carbon pricing in Saskatchewan and would ensure any revenues raised stayed in the province, she said.
Saskatchewan has already missed one deadline to sign on to the federal plan. McKenna has said that means the province won’t get $62 million in funding for emissionsreduction programs.
In her letter, McKenna said Saskatchewan’s share now will be open to provinces, territories, municipalities, businesses, nongovernmental organizations and Indigenous communities across Canada — including in Saskatchewan.