Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe gestures while speaking at his party's convention in Regina, on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Heywood Yu
REGINA – The Saskatchewan government has introduced legislation that it says would enable it to stop collecting the federal carbon tax on natural gas bills while providing legal protection for those at its energy Crown corporation.
The Saskatchewan Party government announced last month that SaskEnergy would stop collecting the carbon tax on natural gas on Jan. 1 in response to Ottawa’s decision to pause the tax on home heating oil.
The federal move largely helps those in Atlantic provinces, where it’s a main source for home heating, and Saskatchewan and other provinces have said it’s unfair natural gas hasn’t been treated similarly.
The bill introduced in the Saskatchewan legislature today would designate SaskEnergy as the sole registered distributor of natural gas in the province.
It says it would protect the Crown corporation, all of its current and former directors, officers, employees and other associates from legal consequences of not remitting the tax.
The Saskatchewan government says removing the tax from SaskEnergy bills, effective New Year’s Day, would save the average family in the province $400 next year.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Nov. 16, 2023.
