Several Provincial Finance Ministers Unite in Calling for Carbon Tax on Home Heating to Be Eliminated

The ministers say Ottawa’s decision to pause the tax on home heating oil has created ‘jurisdictional imbalances.’

A man walks past a snow-covered bike and a residential building in Saskatoon in a file photo. The Canadian Press/Jonathan Hayward

Several provinces have issued a joint statement calling on the federal government to eliminate the carbon tax on all forms of home heating.

The united front comes after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a pause on the tax for home heating oil, a move that largely benefits Atlantic Canada where 30 percent of families use oil to heat their homes. Other provinces rely more on different sources, like natural gas.

The finance ministers of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Ontario, Saskatchewan, and Alberta said Mr. Trudeau’s decision to pause the tax on home heating oil has created “jurisdictional imbalances.”

“We urge the federal government to eliminate the carbon tax to ensure fairness and ease financial pressure on Canadians,” they said in the statement.

They also said the carbon tax was having a “disproportionate impact on affordability” on Canadians without creating options “for people to move away from fossil fuels.”

The Epoch Times reached out to Mr. Trudeau and Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault but did not immediately hear back.

The statement comes after Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe called on Mr. Trudeau to also pause the tax on natural gas, which is the primary home heating source in his province.

Mr. Trudeau responded by saying there would not be any more suspensions of the tax.

“There will absolutely not be any other carve-outs or suspensions of the price on pollution,” he told reporters on Oct. 31. “This is designed to phase out heating oil.”

Mr. Moe responded on social media that his province would not collect the tax as of Jan. 1, 2024.

“SaskEnergy will ‘absolutely not’ be collecting and submitting carbon tax on natural gas, starting January 1st,” Mr. Moe wrote in a Nov. 2 social media post.

On Nov. 3, Ontario Premier Doug Ford posted an open letter to the Liberal caucus, calling on them to stand up for constituents and reduce the tax on natural gas, which is also a main source of home heating in Ontario.

“With nearly half of the Liberal caucus being from Ontario, it’s time for these members to advocate for the families they’re elected to represent,” Mr. Ford said in the post on X, formerly Twitter.

“You need to go further, do the right thing, and remove the federal tax from natural gas on home heating,” he said, adding that 97.5 percent of Ontario residents don’t use home heating oil and, therefore, don’t benefit from the government’s exemption. “These families also deserve a break.”

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has also called for an end to the carbon tax.

She said the federal government “has decided that one area of Canada using one type of home heating is worthy of a carbon tax break,” while those living elsewhere using other types of heating are not.

Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem has said that if the government eliminated the carbon tax, inflation would drop by 16 percent.

Mr. Macklem provided this information while testifying before the House of Commons finance committee on Oct. 30.