Canada’s smallest province is taking on the federal government.
Earlier this week, it was announced that Prince Edward Island will be joining Saskatchewan’s challenge to the carbon tax as an intervener, even though PEI’s premier supports a carbon tax.
The announcement came the same day that Quebec announced it will also be joining the Saskatchewan government’s court challenge.
Saskatchewan’s first challenge was defeated by a provincial court in a split 3-2 decision. This appeal to the Supreme Court already has Ontario, Manitoba, New Brunswick and Alberta signed on as interveners.
The addition of Quebec and Prince Edward Island brings that total number of provinces taking part in the challenge to seven.
True North created a petition, asking PEI and Quebec to unite with their conservative counterparts and join onto the challenge.
It appears they listened.
Both provinces are putting their names into the challenge to have their positions heard.
Quebec, in particular, is looking to ensure that their own autonomy on the issue is protected, as the province has a separate cap-and-trade system which was fitted to Quebec’s own needs.
The intervention of PEI comes as a surprise to many, as Premier Dennis King stated in the past that his government would not bring up the issue.
When he was first elected, King made sure to distance himself from other Conservative governments, saying he has a “different brand” of conservatism.
King runs only a minority government, with opposition Green Party and Liberals fully supporting the carbon tax.
