The Saskatchewan premier says SaskEnergy will ‘absolutely not’ be collecting and submitting carbon tax on natural gas, starting Jan. 1, 2024.
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe is repeating his pledge that his province will not collect the federal carbon tax on natural gas come January after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ruled out further exemptions.
“SaskEnergy will ‘absolutely not’ be collecting and submitting carbon tax on natural gas, starting January 1st,” Mr. Moe said in a Nov. 2 social media
post.
Mr. Moe’s assertion comes in response to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s refusal to expand the three-year carbon tax exemption on furnace oil to other heating sources. The prime minister made the announcement after Mr. Moe called on the federal Liberals to also
pause the tax on natural gas, which is used in most Saskatchewan homes.
“There will absolutely not be any other carve-outs or suspensions of the price on pollution,” Mr. Trudeau
told reporters on Oct. 31. “This is designed to phase out heating oil.”
Mr. Trudeau made the decision to pause the tax for three years to allow Canadians the time to switch to electric heat pumps, according to a government
news release. The exemption applies to the 10 provinces and territories where the federal fuel charge is collected, although the change mainly benefits Atlantic Canada, where
30 percent of homeowners still use heating oil to heat their homes.
Mr. Moe, in his post, said Mr. Trudeau’s decision is “absolutely not about fairness for Canadian families,” adding that “this is absolutely not the way to run a country.”
Classes of Taxpayers
Mr. Moe, in a
video posted on Oct. 30, said the move by the federal government only benefited part of Canada.
“This exemption is primarily for families in Atlantic Canada,” Mr. Moe said.
He said Mr. Trudeau’s decision contradicts the prime minister’s claims that the carbon tax is affordable and is being applied fairly across the country.
“Home heating oil is used primarily in one part of the country, and it has higher greenhouse gas emissions than other heat sources like natural gas that is used in most Saskatchewan homes,” he said in the video. “So the prime minister chose to make life more affordable for families in one part of the country while leaving Saskatchewan families out in the cold.”
“I cannot accept the federal government giving an affordability break to people in one part of Canada, but not here,” he added.
The
carbon tax was introduced in 2019 and applies to provinces and territories that do not have their own carbon pricing systems. It currently costs $65 per tonne of emissions and will increase by $15 annually until 2030.
Mr. Moe said in the social media video that the federal government may claim that not collecting the tax is illegal, but it is Mr. Trudeau’s decision that is creating different classes of taxpayers.
He said it is his job as premier to ensure Saskatchewan residents are “treated fairly and equally.”
“Of course, the real solution would be for the federal government to scrap the entire carbon tax on everyone and everything,” Mr. Moe said. “But until that happens, it needs to at least be applied fairly across Canada. And that should mean no carbon tax on using natural gas to heat your home this winter in Saskatchewan.”
Alberta Agrees
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith also
called on Mr. Trudeau to exempt other sources of heat from carbon taxes during a media appearance on Oct. 30.
Ms. Smith said energy providers in her province are private companies so she cannot stop collecting taxes in the way Saskatchewan can, which has a crown corporation in charge of energy.
Canadian households receive carbon rebates to offset the extra money they pay. However, more than half of Canadians believe the tax should be reduced or eliminated, according to a
Leger poll released earlier this year.
The Epoch Times reached out to the prime minister’s office for comment but did not immediately hear back.
