Liberal Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland suggested that it’s possible Premier Moe will get criminally charged if he follows through on his carbon tax ultimatum. 

Freeland’s bold statement comes four days after Moe said that he will instruct Sask Energy to stop collecting the federal carbon tax on January 1 if Prime Minister Justin Trudeau doesn’t scrap it before then. 

“What can the federal government do to prevent [Moe] from acting unilaterally?” a reporter asked Freeland. “Will he, will the province, will anyone, incur penalties? Will there be fees? Or perhaps even jail time?” 

Freeland responded, “The federal government expects everyone in Canada to obey the law. Canada is a country of good peace, order, and good government. I think that is something all Canadians believe in. That’s something we expect.” 

Moe’s ultimatum for the feds comes after Trudeau backtracked on the carbon tax in a way that affects mostly Atlantic Canada. Last week, Trudeau announced that home heating oil — which a disproportionate number Atlantic Canadians use — would be exempt from the carbon tax for the next three years.