For some time now, True North has been calling on conservative premiers across the country to fight against Trudeau’s carbon tax. Our reporting on the truth about the tax and this petition seems to have worked.
Earlier this week, the province of Quebec announced its unexpected decision to join the constitutional challenge against Trudeau’s carbon tax.
The province’s Minister of Justice and Attorney General Sonia LeBel cited protecting the province’s cap and trade system as the reason behind its decision.
“It is important for our government to intervene in this debate to ensure that Quebec can defend its position and that it be heard before the Supreme Court of Canada. The Quebec government has shown real leadership in implementing its own carbon exchange,” said LeBel in an official government press release.
In 2012, Quebec implemented a cap-and-trade program on carbon emissions which has since been in effect in the province. Due to the plan, Quebec was able to avoid having to pay the federal tax which was intended for those provinces with no carbon pricing system in effect.
A number of provinces have challenged the federal levy including Alberta, Ontario, New Brunswick, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
Although both Ontario’s and Saskatchewan’s Court of Appeal have turned down the challenge, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe has taken the fight all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada. The other provinces are all still waiting for a ruling on the matter.
Along with Quebec, the province of P.E.I has also joined as an intervener in the matter.
According to a report by the Parliamentary Budget Officer, the carbon tax has unproportionally targeted consumers the most, who are expected to pay for 90% of the emissions.
“Households will largely bear the cost of the pricing system through their consumption of energy used for residential and transport purposes, and carbon charges embodied in non-energy products,” claimed the report.
