Moe promises to continue withholding federal carbon levy on home heating

REGINA — Saskatchewan Party Leader Scott Moe says residents would continue to be exempt from paying the federal carbon levy on home heating if he’s re-elected premier on Oct. 28.

Moe says by not remitting the levy to Ottawa, the average household would save $480 next year.

Earlier this year, the Saskatchewan government stopped paying the federal carbon charge on natural gas after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberals exempted home-heating oil users, who are mainly in Atlantic Canada, from paying.

Moe called Trudeau’s decision unfair, saying all forms of home heating should be exempt.

Earlier this year, Ottawa and Saskatchewan reached an agreement securing the federal government half of what was owed until the dispute is resolved.

Moe has no election campaign events scheduled for today.

He has called the federal Liberal government the “Trudeau-NDP government,” as the federal NDP had supported the Liberals through a supply and confidence agreement for the past two years.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh ended that deal last month.

“The real solution is for the Trudeau-NDP government to remove the carbon tax completely or, if that doesn’t happen, for voters to remove the Trudeau-NDP government, which we will have a chance to do next year,” Moe said in a news release Tuesday, referring to the next scheduled federal election.

“Until then, the Saskatchewan Party will continue to ensure tax fairness for Saskatchewan families by keeping the carbon tax off home heating.”

The Saskatchewan NDP’s Carla Beck has said she’s also opposed to the federal carbon levy.

Her party supported Moe in the legislature in withholding the federal carbon levy on home heating.

Beck has also said she was in favour of the federal NDP ending its deal with the Liberals.

“It’s about time,” she said in September.

Saskatchewan residents continue to receive carbon rebates from Ottawa.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 15, 2024.

Jeremy Simes, The Canadian Press