Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe expressed little concern over the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) having set its sights on the province over the carbon tax.
Moe’s defiance comes amid a months-long standoff over the federal carbon tax, with Ottawa aiming to enforce its legislation on a province that’s refusing to play ball.
Moe, speaking with reporters on Monday, said “They will ask if they can look at the submissions we’ve made and for us to submit money they estimate may be owed.”
“We don’t believe there’s any dollars that are owed,” he added.
Effective January 1 of this year, the Saskatchewan Premier instructed SaskEnergy to stop charging the federal carbon tax on those who rely on natural gas for home heating.
Moe made the decision after learning that Prime Minister Trudeau gave a carbon tax exemption to those who heat their home with heating oil. This was unfair, Moe said at the time, as it mostly benefited Newfoundlanders, while Saskatchewanians tend to rely on natural gas.
“We think the federal government could actually take another step and make this whole policy decision more fair to more Canadian families,” Moe said Monday.
Meanwhile, the PM dismissively told Moe “good luck” last week in regards to his pending audit from the CRA.
Trudeau flip-flops on carbon tax rebate
This all comes after the federal Liberals flip-flopped on the carbon tax rebate for Saskatchewan specifically, then denied they flip-flopped.
In November, Trudeau’s Natural Resources Minister, Jonathan Wilkinson, said that Saskatchewanians “will no longer get the rebate,” stating this was a response to Moe’s decision.
But this week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took a different tack, declaring that people in Saskatchewan will not “be punished” for Moe’s decision and that they will receive the same benefits as people in other provinces even if they will pay less in carbon taxes.
