Smith says Alberta stands with Sask. in latest battle against ‘unfair’ carbon tax

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says her government is standing with Saskatchewan in its latest fight against the federal carbon tax.

Smith also took a number of shots at Steven Guilbeault, Canada’s environment minister.

Saskatchewan made the decision last week to stop remitting the carbon tax collected on home heating back to Ottawa, in response to a decision by the federal government to make home heating oil exempt from the levy. As the exemption largely applies in Atlantic provinces and not in Saskatchewan, where natural gas and electricity are the most common forms of home heating, the move prompted accusations of unfairness by the provincial government.

Guilbeault called Premier Scott Moe both “immoral” and “irresponsible” for choosing to ignore federal law, and warned that “measures will have to be taken” in response. Those measures could include cutting carbon tax rebates in the province.

Jonathan Wilkinson, the federal minister of energy and natural resources, called the move “irresponsible” and “almost unheard of in the history of this country.”

In a social media post, Smith said her government “stands with Saskatchewan and Premier Scott Moe in their fight against the unfair and unconstitutional region-specific and fuel-specific application of the carbon tax.”

Smith took aim at Guilbeault’s legal history as a Greenpeace activist and called for him to be replaced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

“This is the same man who scaled the CN tower illegally putting lives at risk, trespassed on the home of Ralph and Colleen Klein while Colleen was home alone, and tramples on the constitution of Canada on an almost daily basis as evidenced by his continued Supreme Court and federal court losses including on C-69 and plastics,” Smith said.

“This man clearly resents the West and our right to develop our resources, and he is entirely unfit to be environment minister.”

The Government of Saskatchewan has been staunchly opposed to the carbon tax since it was first introduced, taking its legal challenge against the tax all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada, though it was not successful.

Alberta stands with Saskatchewan and Premier Scott Moe in their fight against the unfair and unconstitutional region-specific and fuel-specific application of the carbon tax. We agree the retail carbon tax should be scrapped and will continue to take every effort to see that it… pic.twitter.com/ojPWymshzs

— Danielle Smith (@ABDanielleSmith) March 5, 2024