Premier Andrew Furey says he’s not out to pick a fight with Ottawa over the new clean fuel regulations. But he says the federal Liberals have gone back on their word not to penalize one region more than another, and he’s not prepared to let it go.
Nor does he think it’s too late for something to be done about it.
The new regulations on refineries came into effect July 1 and, according to the Parliamentary Budget Officer, they’ll end up costing people in this province about three times more than people elsewhere in Canada.
“Look, Minister O’Regan and I, and Minister Hutchings and I have talked about this extensively. I’m hopeful that there are solutions on the horizon, but we want to make our position very well known to the federal government. We were given some assurances, by the way, that there would be zero impact on July 1. That hasn’t been true. But we have a good relationship with the federal government,” says Furey.
Meanwhile, the Opposition Tories accuse the Premier and caucus of supporting carbon tax increases.
Leader Dave Brazil notes tax hikes will impact everyone, particularly those with low income or who live in rural communities due to increased travel and shipping costs.
Brazil calls on the Premier to take meaningful action, including blocking the tax and recognizing the province’s contributions to green energy.
The province repealed its 11 cent carbon tax on gas and diesel after Ottawa mandated its replacement 14 cent tax as of July 1, resulting in an immediate increase of 3.8 cents per litre.
