In a 6-3 decision the Supreme Court of Canada has announced Thursday morning that a federally imposed carbon tax, is constitutional.
The federal price on pollution was first introduced in 2018 and was imposed on province’s like Saskatchewan, that didn’t have a price on pollution on the provincial level.
Chief Justice Richard Wagner said in the written ruling that climate change is a real and existential threat to Canada and the entire world, and evidence shows a price on pollution is a critical element to addressing it.
Reference re Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act – The Supreme Court of Canada rules the federal carbon pricing law is constitutional: https://t.co/EdlMTUmwmC #Constitution #GHG pic.twitter.com/FBSGp8qcsu
— Supreme Court of Canada (@SCC_eng) March 25, 2021
Saskatchewan, Alberta and Ontario challenged the tax in provincial court of appeals.
In Alberta the tax was ruled unconstitutional.
Currently, the tax adds about 8.8 cents per litre to gasoline, and about $15 a month to an average household natural gas bill.
Ottawa returns the revenues from the carbon price mainly through tax rebates to families.
Premier Scott Moe is expected to speak on the ruling at noon today, the Saskatchewan NDP will be speaking at 11:30 a.m..
Today’s decision by the Supreme Court of Canada does not change our core conviction that the federal carbon tax is bad environmental policy, bad economic policy, and simply wrong.
Read my full statement below: pic.twitter.com/owT29uYjag
— Scott Moe (@PremierScottMoe) March 25, 2021
