Trudeau says ‘good luck’ to Saskatchewan premier in carbon price spat
Global News
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the Canada Revenue Agency is "very, very good" at collecting money it's owed, in a growing row with Saskatchewan's premier over the carbon price.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau warned Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe on Wednesday that the Canada Revenue Agency is “very, very good” at getting the money it’s owed.
“Having an argument with CRA about not wanting to pay your taxes is not a position I want anyone to be in,” he said at a press conference in Oakville, Ont.
“Good luck with that, Premier Moe.”
The Saskatchewan premier has pledged his province will not send Ottawa the money it collects from the federal carbon price on natural gas — a move that breaks federal law.
The jurisdictional spat began when the Liberals created a temporary exemption to the carbon price for home heating oil.
The Saskatchewan government said that’s unfair and politically motivated because the exemption has an outsized impact in Atlantic Canada, where oil is the main fuel source for home heating.
Moe’s government has called for a similar exemption on natural gas, the primary home-heating fuel in Saskatchewan.
He has also been a vocal opponent of the carbon levy more broadly and counts himself among a majority of premiers who have written to Trudeau seeking a meeting to talk about alternatives to the carbon price.
