Achi news desk-
Many Saskatchewan residents polled on a carbon price believe it should be phased out amid uncertainty about it and the rising cost of living.
An Angus Reid poll released on Monday asked 1,602 people from across Canada, 117 of them from Saskatchewan, about the price of carbon and Saskatchewan’s decision to stop transferring the revenue collected on home heating to the federal government .
The Canadian government says eight out of 10 families in the country receive more in carbon refunds than they pay out in taxes, but many of the respondents polled either didn’t believe they have received a refund or not sure.
Around half of the people surveyed felt they were paying more money in carbon levies than they got back in refunds, but many were also unsure whether they were receiving a refund or how much.
Over half of the respondents felt that cost of living concerns should outweigh concerns about climate change.
A large majority of respondents did not feel that a carbon price was effective in reducing emissions, and around 40 per cent felt that it should be abolished altogether.
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That number jumps when looking at Saskatchewan, with 61 per cent of those polled believing the carbon price should be eliminated, nine per cent believing it should be lowered and 17 per cent saying it should increase as planned over the next three years.
Federal Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said about a month ago that Ottawa will no longer give the rebates to Saskatchewan residents because Premier Scott Moe’s government refuses to pay the federal levy on natural gas.
In response, Premier Scott Moe threatened that the province will not pay the levy on everything else affected by the carbon tax if residents do not see refunds.
That said, a Canadian government posting on its website by the Department of Finance dated February 14 shows that a family of four from Saskatchewan in a rural area could receive $1,804.80 in annual rebates this year.
Global News reached out to the feds to clarify whether Saskatchewan residents will receive the refund this year and receive a statement.
“Canada rightfully expects everyone, including their provincial government, to follow the law – and the price on corruption framework has been upheld by the Supreme Court of Canada,” said Katherine Cuplinskas, press secretary for the Office of r Deputy First Minister and Minister for Affairs. Finance.
“This year, a family of four in Saskatchewan is set to receive up to $1,800 in Canada Carbon Rebates. More than half a million Saskatchewans benefit from Canada’s Carbon Refunds.”
Saskatchewan’s decision to stop paying the federal carbon price is illegal, with federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault saying on March 5 that action will be taken.
“If Premier Scott Moe decides he wants to start breaking federal laws then measures will be taken. We can’t let that happen. What if tomorrow someone decides they want to break other laws, criminal laws? What would happen then?” Guilbeault said.
The minister in charge of SaskEnergy, Dustin Duncan, said he would be the one to bear the consequences of the province’s decision, which could include jail time.
Regardless of the legality of the decision, over half of the people surveyed felt that the Saskatchewan government was doing the right thing not to collect the carbon price on home heating, with the highest support coming from respondents in Alberta and Atlantic Canada.
— with Files from The Canadian Press and David Baxter
& copy 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
