Kinew makes it explicit, asks Ottawa to remove carbon tax from natural gas home heating

Premier Wab Kinew is now explicitly asking Ottawa to remove the carbon tax from natural gas — something former premier Heather Stefanson had campaigned on during the recent Manitoba election.

Six days after Finance Minister Adrien Sala said his NDP government is interested in a carbon-tax carve-out for home heating fuel, akin to the one effectively offered to oil-burning furnaces in Atlantic Canada, Kinew said Manitoba wants the same exemption for natural gas-burning furnaces in his province.

"The carbon tax is not a silver bullet when it comes to climate change," Kinew told reporters Monday in Halifax, where Canada's provincial and territorial premiers gathered for a first ministers' meeting.

"It seems like it's going to be the hard work of many separate individual initiatives that [are] going to move the ball forward in terms of a climate-friendly future."

In a follow-up telephone interview with CBC News, Kinew said many Manitobans are struggling to make ends meet and can only make climate-friendly decisions once those consumer choices are within their means.

"The basic idea of getting broad public support for action on climate change means bringing the working person along. It means bringing the middle-class family along," Kinew said. "So as part of a long-term strategy to combat climate change, we also need to show flexibility and help people who are struggling right now because of inflation."

Kinew said he wants to see "evidence and analysis" that identifies the policy tools that will actually help reduce carbon emissions and allow consumers to use less energy.

"We need a comprehensive suite of actions which are going to move the needle on home heating and transportation and in different sectors of our economy," he said.

"All of that should be done in an approach that makes sure that people can still make ends meet month to month and ensure that they have the resources necessary to make the climate-friendly decision once it's within their reach."

During the 2023 election campaign, Stefanson's Progressive Conservatives promised to take the federal government to court to remove the carbon tax from natural gas charges on Manitoba Hydro bills.

Her predecessor as premier and PC leader, Brian Pallister, attempted an earlier court challenge.

Fort Whyte MLA Obby Khan, the PC finance critic, accused the NDP of flip-flopping on the carbon tax.

"The NDP government's own finance minister said just last year that 'suspending the carbon tax would actually cost the average Manitoban money.' This is the same NDP who, until today, remained pro-carbon tax," Khan said Monday in a statement.

"Why did it take pressure from all other premiers, the federal NDP, and other provincial NDP parties for Kinew to finally stand up for Manitobans?"