Alberta government takes Ottawa to court over carbon tax

Premier Danielle Smith says she’s taking steps to keep Albertans warm this winter while keeping their energy bills low.

On Tuesday, the premier announced the province has applied for a judicial review to be exempt from Ottawa’s federal carbon tax.

“We ask the court to declare the exemption both unconstitutional and illegal. We hope this will force Ottawa to recognize the burden the carbon tax places on Canadians and eliminate the tax altogether,” Smith said during a press conference on Tuesday.

The Alberta UCP government has been fighting the federal carbon tax since 2019, calling it “unfair” to Albertans.

“Heating is not optional in Alberta, which means we rely on natural gas not only to keep us warm, but to keep us safe,” Smith said.

A year ago, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau introduced a three-year pause on the federal carbon price for heating oil supplies in all jurisdictions where the federal fuel tax is in effect.

Smith says this effort will only benefit people in Atlantic Canada and Quebec, where populations use heating oil.

“The outcome is grossly unfair to people in Alberta and other parts of Canada who use natural gas and other fuels to stay warm in the winter,” Smith said.

“From where we stand, it looks very much like yet another attempt to divide our country, to reward one region and punish another.”

Smith says less than one per cent of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba use home heating oil.

The province says it has not informed the federal government of its legal action, but has been clear about its position on the carbon tax for years.

With files from CTVNews.ca

This is a developing story, more details to follow as they become available…