A new year means Saskatchewan will see a new tax. The federal carbon tax will come into effect on April 1.
"This is a plan that raises revenue for the government that imposes a higher cost on people who have to drive to work, drop their kids off at school, people who live in suburbs and rural locations who don’t have access to things like public transit will be paying the brunt of this carbon tax and is only going to get higher," said Andrew Scheer, leader of the federal Conservative Party.
On Tuesday, Scheer was at a Giant Tiger store in Regina talking to shoppers about the carbon tax and how it will impact everyday life. He said if the conservatives are elected in the next federal election, they will repeal the carbon tax. Scheer did not specifically outline the conservatives plan to reduce emissions.
“We will be working with industries to lower their emissions and providing incentives for efficiencies, we will not be imposing a new tax,” said Scheer.
Manitoba, New Brunswick, Ontario and Saskatchewan have not signed onto the federal government’s carbon tax plan. The Saskatchewan government is taking the federal government to court over imposing the carbon tax.
"If we are unsuccessful with the challenge in the provincial court we'll take it to the Supreme Court,” said Premier Scott Moe in December. “Ultimately we'll work with our federal government as well as we work our way through this to ensure that they understand that there are better solutions available."
Jim Elliott is a Regina resident who thinks it’s important to reduce his carbon footprint, which is why he does not own a vehicle and uses a bicycle to get around.
"I want to see my nieces and nephews have a better life then what it could be if some of the impacts of climate change happen," he said.
Elliott thinks the carbon tax is the first step in the right direction to reduce emissions.
“Clearly we need to start to understand where our carbon, where our energy is being put and make appropriate choices to start to reduce that,” said Elliott.
The federal government said it’s still working on a response.
In a statement to CTV News, the federal government said it plans to protect the environment and grow the economy through the tax.
“That’s why we are ensuring a price across Canada on what we don’t want, pollution, so we can get more of what we do want — lower emissions, cleaner air, new business opportunities and more money in the pockets of Canadians,” the statement said.
The government said the Climate Action Incentive will give a family of four a rebate of $609, and that rural residents will receive additional support.
“Our pollution pricing policy also reflects the realities of our agricultural industry, and both gasoline and diesel fuels for on-farm use will be exempted under the federal backstop,” the statement added.
