Federal government says there will be no carbon rebates for Sask.
SaskEnergy is breaking federal emissions law by choosing not to remit the levy, which could result in fines or jail time for executives.
Saskatchewan’s move to no longer remit the federal carbon levy on natural gas turned into a tit-for-tat of threats as of Feb. 29, with Ottawa saying the province’s residents will no longer be getting rebates.
Premier Scott Moe shot back by saying Saskatchewan should stop sending Ottawa the levy on everything else.
“If the (federal) government follows through on this threat, they will once again be penalizing Saskatchewan families for wanting to be treated the same as other Canadians,” Moe wrote on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
Moe said while the province’s natural gas utility, SaskEnergy, has stopped remitting the federal charge, residents are still paying it on gasoline, diesel, propane and other goods.
“If Saskatchewan people stop getting the rebate entirely, Saskatchewan should stop paying the carbon tax entirely,” said Moe.
Moe had announced SaskEnergy would stop collecting the carbon price from customers in January, and the province had until Feb. 29 to remit those dollars.
SaskEnergy is breaking federal emissions law by choosing not to remit the levy, which could result in fines or jail time for executives. The Saskatchewan government has passed legislation that aims to shield executives from legal consequences, putting that burden on the province.
Federal Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said Saskatchewan’s move is reckless, as the law to impose a carbon levy was upheld by the Supreme Court of Canada.
“(It’s) irresponsible and almost unheard of in the history of this country,” he said in Ottawa.
“Premiers, just like prime ministers, are responsible for passing laws and they expect their citizens to abide by those laws. If you do not have that expectation, you have anarchy.”
People in Saskatchewan will no longer get a carbon rebate, he said, because it’s difficult to provide rebates when no money is being collected.
“They will no longer get the rebate,” Wilkinson said.
“The rebate actually provides more money for most families in Saskatchewan.”
A spokeswoman for Wilkinson later told The Canadian Press the impact on the rebates sent to Saskatchewan is dependent on what money Saskatchewan actually remits to the federal government.
Federal Justice Minister Arif Virani said his job is to uphold the laws of the country.
“I’m not going to engage in hypotheticals about what (Saskatchewan) may or may not do in the future. When they actually take a step like that, we will deal with it accordingly,” he said.
Dustin Duncan, the minister responsible for SaskEnergy, said the provincial government recognizes there may be consequences.
Duncan told reporters in Ottawa the province decided not to remit out of fairness, pointing to a decision Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made when Ottawa exempted home heating oil from the carbon charge, a move that largely benefits Atlantic Canadians.
Wilkinson said the rebate for a family of four in Saskatchewan is $1,500 and for those in rural communities it’s $1,800.
