Saskatchewan's vow to axe industrial carbon tax tests climate targets during federal election

Dayne Patterson · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 28, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe's committedness to destruct the concern c tax, and determination distant from the province's ain clime plans, opens the doorway to a imaginable national predetermination issue.

Late Wednesday, Moe announced the Saskatchewan authorities would destruct its provincial concern c tax, known arsenic the Output-Based Performance Standards (OBPS) program, connected April 1. Implementing the alteration alongside the national government's program to chopped the user c taxation the aforesaid day, Moe said Saskatchewan would beryllium a carbon-tax escaped province.

If removed, the national authorities could enforce a national concern c taxation successful its place, thing University of Alberta economics and instrumentality Prof. Andrew Leach does not expect the 'caretaker' authorities successful spot for the predetermination to do.

During an predetermination period, a normal of the authorities functions successful its spot until a caller authorities is sworn successful oregon an incumbent is re-elected.

Leach said the national authorities has the jurisdiction to enforce c pricing, but it's a governmental decision. 

"There's astir nary accidental that the national authorities is going to bash that now," helium told CBC's Alexander Quon.

"That would astir apt go, I would think, beyond your caretaker normal during a national election; but, much importantly, I don't deliberation that Mr. Carney's going to privation to displacement the ballot question to that close now."

Ditching concern taxation is abandoning clime goals: economist

Brett Dolter, an subordinate prof of economics astatine the University of Regina, sees Saskatchewan's divergence from the concern c taxation arsenic knocking down the 2nd of 3 pillars successful the province's climate alteration plan.

In December 2017, Saskatchewan launched its clime alteration strategy, entitled Prairie Resilience. 

For Dolter, determination are 3 main pillars to that plan: methane capture, its concern c emissions taxation and cleaner energy production.

By cutting the tax, 1 is knocked down. Dolter besides sees different tumbling.

Earlier this year, the Saskatchewan authorities directed SaskPower to make a program for powerfulness procreation that could see extending the lives of its coal-fired powerfulness plants. That's among the issues affecting its energy goals, helium said.

Without the emissions tax, operating those powerfulness plants would beryllium a batch much affordable, Dolter said. He said moving ember powerfulness plants is going to steer the state distant from its extremity of reducing its emanation accumulation from its energy procreation by 40 per cent. 

"It's starting to look similar Prairie Resilience is much similar prairie obstinance. We're conscionable getting clime argumentation retired of the representation present successful Saskatchewan," helium said.