Moe Says Despite Supreme Court Decision SaskParty Still Opposes Federal Carbon Tax

Despite the Supreme Court of Canada deciding in a 6 - 3 vote that a federal carbon tax is constitutional Premier Scott Moe says the Province’s position has not changed.

“Today’s decision by the Supreme Court of Canada does not change our core conviction that the federal carbon tax is bad environmental policy, bad economic policy, and simply wrong. While the Supreme Court has determined that Prime Minister Trudeau has the legal right to impose a carbon tax, it doesn’t mean he should, and it doesn’t make the carbon tax any less punitive for Saskatchewan people,” Moe said in a statement on the SaskParty’s Facebook page.

Premier Moe once again stated his opinion that Trudeau’s carbon tax is unfair and a major attack on Saskatchewan’s economy.

”From the first day that his (Trudeau’s) carbon tax was imposed, Saskatchewan people have seen the federal carbon tax for what it is - a blunt, ineffective instrument that kills jobs, threatens the competitiveness of our industries, and penalizes essential, daily activities of families across our province,” the Premier’s statement read, adding “Our government will continue to make every effort to protect Saskatchewan families, workers and businesses from the negative consequences of the federal carbon tax.”

The provincial government is set to release a plan in the months ahead that addresses climate change while protecting the provincial economy.

In December 2020 the federal government announced plans to increase the carbon tax significantly from $40/tonne in 2021 to $170/tonne in an effort to meet Canada’s commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions - including carbon dioxide - by 30 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030. The tax is set to rise to $50/tonne in 2022 and then increase $15/tonne annually until 2030.