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“This is Saskatchewan. Most of us have to drive a lot. We drive to work, we drive for our kids’ recreation and their school, and we have to heat our homes on some very cold days in this province. This is all going to cost a whole lot more now.”

Saskatchewan and Ontario are both fighting the carbon tax plan in court, arguing the federal government doesn’t have the constitutional right to impose it on provinces that don’t want it, but it will likely take many months for that to be settled.

Gerald Butts, a top aide to Trudeau, reacted to some of the criticism on Twitter, pointing out that this was a specific election promise from the prime minister and that provincial governments have had plenty of time to come up with their own solutions.

“When the Conservative Premiers bailed on the Climate Plan, the only real option to fulfill that promise (now federal law) was to return the money to the people,” he wrote.

Trudeau, who made the announcement in Doug Ford’s home turf of Etobicoke in Toronto, also did radio interviews in the morning to spread that message, telling CBC radio that “unfortunately, the conservative movement in this country is determined not to act on the environment.”

Trudeau promised that “every nickel” collected as part of the federal carbon tax will be returned in the province it was collected, with 10 per cent going to such organizations as schools, universities and small businesses, and the rest going directly to residents.

The amount of money rebated depends on the amount of carbon tax collected and family size. That means Saskatchewan residents are expected to get the highest rebate, starting at $598 for the average family, due to the fact their province has high emissions per capita.

The average Manitoba family is expected to get a $336 rebate; an Ontario family is expected to get a $300 rebate; and a New Brunswick family is expected to get a $248 rebate. Those numbers are for 2019, and will likely rise as the carbon tax rises gradually.

bplatt@postmedia.com | Twitter: btaplatt