Saskatchewan government seeks climate change money without attached strings
REGINA — The Saskatchewan government says it should still receive $62 million in federal money for emission-reduction programs, even though it will not sign on to Ottawa’s national climate change plan that includes a carbon tax.
The statement from Saskatchewan Environment Minister Dustin Duncan comes after his federal counterpart, Catherine McKenna, told The Canadian Press on Wednesday that unless the province signs on, it will forfeit the money.
In response to the Feb. 28 participation deadline for the Pan-Canadian Framework, Duncan has sent an open letter to McKenna and federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau, stating that Saskatchewan has its own climate change initiative
He says imposing a federal carbon tax will not make his province more resilient to climate change and suggests the levy will actually have a negative impact on Indigenous people, farmers and rural residents.