REGINA – Saskatchewan’s premier says his government will outline what it plans to do now that Canada’s highest court has ruled Ottawa’s carbon price is constitutional.
Scott Moe says in a statement that despite the Supreme Court of Canada’s ruling, he believes the program to be bad policy and punishing to families and local industries.
Saskatchewan is one of a handful of provinces subject to the federal carbon price after refusing to charge its own on fuel used by consumers.
The province’s Opposition NDP has called on Moe’s Saskatchewan Party government to negotiate a better deal than what the province has now with Ottawa.
NDP Leader Ryan Meili says Moe should find a way to get an exemption on fuel used by farmers for grain drying and to secure other rebates for families.
Moe is set to speak later today about how his government plans to address climate change and protect residents in the months ahead.
“We will forge our own path without being subject to the punitive and ineffective carbon tax imposed by Prime Minister Trudeau and the federal government,” Moe said in a statement Thursday.
The Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan said it’s disappointed in the court’s decision and that paying the federal carbon price is costly to the province’s farmers.
“As producers, we don’t set the prices for our products and can’t pass those extra costs along the value chain, so it comes right out of our pockets,” president Todd Lewis said in a statement. 29dk2902l