By Canadian Press

Manitoba pushes ahead with carbon tax court challenge; still hoping for deal

Feb 28, 2020 | 10:58 AM

WINNIPEG — The Manitoba government is pushing ahead with a court challenge of the federal carbon tax although Premier Brian Pallister says he’d still like to see a deal with Ottawa.

Pallister says his government has filed its written arguments in Federal Court and is asking for a judicial review to strike down the federal tax.

He says Manitoba wants to charge a lower carbon tax because of billions of dollars the province has spent on building clean hydroelectric power.

No date has been set for court arguments, and Pallister says he is hoping the province and Ottawa can reach a deal before the case is heard.

Manitoba originally planned a $25-per-tonne carbon tax, but the federal government said that wasn’t high enough and imposed its own levy, which is to rise to $50 per tonne by 2022.

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The Saskatchewan government is challenging the federal carbon tax next month in the Supreme Court of Canada.

Pallister says Manitoba’s case is slightly different than Saskatchewan’s.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 28, 2020

The Canadian Press