Sask. set to put forward case on carbon tax in front of Supreme Court

Saskatchewan is preparing to argue the carbon tax before the Supreme Court of Canada (SCOC) on Tuesday.

The SCOC is set to hear appeals in three separate cases to determine if the federal carbon tax is unconstitutional.

Saskatchewan Justice Minister Don Morgan believes this decision could have huge implications on Saskatchewan residents.

“It’s a decision that will be important to all Canadians,” Morgan said Monday in Saskatoon. “We don’t have control over the timeline, but the decision could take six to 12 months.”

The case between Saskatchewan and the federal government is set for two days. The Supreme Court was to hear the case in March, but it was postponed due to COVID-19.

“We’re asking the Supreme Court to look at it carefully,” Morgan said. “We know that issues of climate change are very important and have to be dealt with. We want to sit down and work with them to find good measures of doing that.”

Premier Scott Moe has been vocal about the Saskatchewan government’s disapproval of the federal carbon tax. He wrote a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Sept. 14 asking the national leader to consider pausing and altering the tax.

“Our message has been the same since Day 1: This is an ineffective tax that does nothing to reduce emissions,” Moe said. “There are other ways for us to continue reducing emissions in some of the most sustainable industries in the world.”

— With files from 650 CKOM’s Brady Lang