Making an allusion to the famed “Walk In The Snow” by former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, when he decided to resign as Prime Minister 40 years ago, Premier Scott Moe posted a video of the Minister Responsible for SaskEnergy, Dustin Duncan stating that after a walk in the rain, he had made a decision about the remittance of carbon tax.  

“Today, I’m announcing that in addition to not collecting the carbon tax on SaskEnergy bills, the government of Saskatchewan will not be remitting the federal carbon tax on natural gas that Saskatchewan families have used to heat their homes,” Duncan said in the video.  

In October, the federal government announced there would be an exemption for the carbon tax on home heating oil. The move was denounced across the nation, as it was said to disproportionately benefit Atlantic Canada, where home heating oil is primarily used. It was also announced by the federal government there would be no further exemptions for the carbon tax.  

At that time, Premier Scott Moe announced that starting January 1st, the carbon tax would no longer be collected by SaskEnergy for home heating. At the time, there was no word as to whether the carbon tax would still be remitted to the federal government or not.  

“In addition to affordability, this is also about fairness, and our government refusing to allow Trudeau to treat Saskatchewan people like second-class citizens,” Duncan said in the video, which was filmed in front of the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa. “The carbon tax has always been unaffordable, but up until now, at least, it had been applied fairly.” 

The move is a large unknown in terms of how it will be handled going forward. The provincial government has taken some steps to shield SaskEnergy itself from any repercussions from the decision made at the cabinet level, something identified in the video by Duncan.  

“This is a decision that we do not take lightly, and we recognized that it may come with consequences,” Duncan explained. “This is why in December of last year, the Saskatchewan legislature unanimously passed a law that gives our government, and me as minister, the exclusive responsibility for compliance with the federal carbon tax on home heating.” 

At this time, there has been no word from the federal government as to what any potential consequences for the move will be.