Provinces to collaborate legal strategies against “ineffective, job-killing” levy
Attorney General of Ontario Doug Downey met with several provincial counterparts in Saskatoon to coordinate their opposition to the federal carbon tax.
Downey met with ministers from Saskatchewan, Alberta and New Brunswick, their legal counsel, as well as counsel from Manitoba, to collaborate on legal arguments and discuss additional legal strategies to against the carbon tax.
According to a statement by the government of Saskatchewan, it was the first province to voice its criticism of the carbon tax, calling it “ineffective, job killing” and an “infringement on provincial authority under the Constitution.”
Ontario and New Brunswick supported the Saskatchewan government at the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal. Meanwhile, Manitoba, Alberta and Quebec have also joined Saskatchewan’s appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada.
“Ontario continues to stand united with our provincial partners in fighting against this federal overreach into provincial jurisdiction and is committed to using every tool at our disposal to protect the people of Ontario from Justin Trudeau’s tax on everything,” Downey said. “I am honoured to meet with my provincial partners to discuss our approach to fight the federal government’s job-killing carbon tax that makes life more expensive for hard-working individuals, families and businesses.”
“It is an honour to be meeting with Minister Schweitzer, Minister Downey and Minister Anderson-Mason in person to discuss and coordinate our legal cases challenging the Trudeau government carbon tax,” said Saskatchewan Minister of Justice and Attorney General Don Morgan. “This application is critically important to asserting provincial jurisdiction. Thus we want to ensure that we have the most cohesive and consistent legal arguments, which is why it is essential that the provinces met together today to further define and align our plans moving forward.”
