Carbon tax fight, teachers' strike, travel costs mark busy week in Sask. politics
CBC
Saskatchewan's decision to violate federal law by not remitting the carbon tax on home heating kicked off a war of words with a federal cabinet minister this week, but that wasn't the only spat the premier and his cabinet had to deal with.
The first week of the March sitting came in like a lion, with Premier Scott Moe sticking to his carbon tax decision and then announcing a pre-budget plan to pay school divisions an extra $180 million.
Sandwiched between those issues was the Opposition NDP flagging the cost of cabinet minister Dustin Duncan's car service while on a November government trip to Paris.
Duncan, the minister responsible for Crown corporations, spent time recently in Ottawa, where he took time to record a video announcing the Saskatchewan Party government's intention to follow through on its promise not to remit carbon tax generated through home heating to the federal government.
The province sent $170 million to Ottawa last year, and the total was expected to be higher this year.
Moe and Duncan have argued since last fall that the federal government's decision to exempt home heating oil from the tax was "unfair," and vowed to not collect the tax or remit if the policy was not extended to all forms of home heating.
This week, federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault said it was "immoral" and "irresponsible" for a premier to decide not to follow the law.
WATCH | The At Issue panel discusses carbon tax on March 7, 2024:
"What if somebody tomorrow decides that they don't want to respect other federal laws, criminal laws?" Guilbeault said Monday.
"If Premier Scott Moe decides that he wants to start breaking laws and not respecting federal laws, then measures will have to be taken."
Last year, the provincial government, with support from the NDP, moved the responsibility of distributing natural gas from SaskEnergy to the minister's office — meaning Duncan would be subject to fines, and even jail time, for not following the law and remitting the taxes collected.
Federal Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson told CBC's Power and Politics this week that his government will have discussions about the "consequences," and said he hopes the province "steps back from the brink" and will "actually behave like law-abiding citizens — but I guess that's up to Premier Moe."
"I think people in Saskatchewan and across the country should be appalled at that sort of behaviour from a provincial premier," Wilkinson said.
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