Wondering who to vote for in the upcoming Saskatoon Fairview byelection on Sept. 7?

There are five candidates — Taylor Bolin, Vicki Mowat, David Prokopchuk, Shah Rukh and Cameron Scott — who are officially in the running for a provincial seat in the Saskatoon Fairview constituency after Jennifer Campeau quit.

To help you decide, CBC Saskatoon will publish responses from the five candidates on a different issue every day this week.

From racism to balancing the budget, we'll find out where the candidates stand on the biggest issues facing Saskatchewan people.

Federal carbon tax

Question: What is your personal opinion on the federal carbon tax? How should the money collected from a carbon tax be allocated?

Candidate responses​

Cameron Scott, Saskatchewan Party

Cameron Scott was officially nominated as the Saskatchewan Party candidate for the Saskatoon Fairview byelection on Aug. 2, 2017. (Saskatchewan Party)

Unlike the Saskatchewan NDP and their next [potential] leader, Ryan Meili, I honestly cannot be more opposed to the federal carbon tax, and am in full support of Premier Brad Wall and the Saskatchewan Party on this issue.

A carbon tax would disproportionately harm Saskatchewan's economy at a time when our resource, energy and agriculture sectors are under stress due to low global commodity prices.

With the federal carbon tax plan, our trade-exposed businesses and carbon-intensive sectors will be put at a disadvantage because our biggest competitors are not imposing similar taxes.

While I grew up in Saskatoon and have lived here my entire life, my family has roots in rural Saskatchewan and I have relatives that continue to farm near Strasbourg. This imposed federal carbon tax would really hurt them, and would make them far less competitive compared to those other jurisdictions that don't have a carbon tax.

Having said that, climate change is an issue that needs to be taken seriously. Saskatchewan is a world leader in carbon capture through our Boundary Dam 3 project in Estevan, which cuts emissions from coal-fired plants by 90 per cent. We are also innovating through SaskPower with its plans to move to 50 per cent renewable capacity by 2050.

Climate change needs to be tackled, just not through a useless, federally-imposed carbon tax.

Taylor Bolin, Saskatchewan Green Party

Taylor Bolin is one of the five names on the ballot for the Saskatoon Fairview byelection. (Saskatchewan Green Party)

I feel that if Saskatchewan doesn't create its own carbon reduction policy, we'll be left with a federally-imposed carbon tax that doesn't benefit Saskatchewan.

One of the main concerns with a carbon tax is that consumers are going to be the ones paying the difference. I am committed to help our communities and citizens with the revenues generated from the carbon tax, while using the remaining funds to invest in the energies and resources of tomorrow.

The longer we wait to create larger renewable energy sectors here in Saskatchewan, the more we miss out on the opportunity as demand for clean energy grows.

Vicki Mowat, New Democratic Party:

Vicki Mowat is running for a provincial seat in the Saskatoon Fairview constituency. (Saskatchewan NDP)

I do not support the federal government's plan to impose a carbon price on Saskatchewan.

Right now, only Saskatchewan and Manitoba will face the federal tax. Every other province has come up with their own solutions, and the Manitoba government says they're working on it too.

What we need is a made-in-Saskatchewan solution that addresses climate change by protecting the air we breathe, the water we drink and still serves the needs of Saskatchewan families.

The federal government's scheme would hurt families here in Saskatoon but the Sask. Party's decision to grandstand instead of putting forward their own plan is leaving the door open to let Ottawa impose their tax on us.

As a first step, the Sask. Party should implement their own Green Tech. Fund that has already passed through the legislature but they've refused to make law. It would make the biggest polluters pay for the pollution they cause, invest in diversifying our economy, create jobs, and protect us from having Ottawa force their tax on Saskatchewan families.

For some reason, so far, the Sask. Party has refused to do that or anything else to actually stop Ottawa's scheme.

David Prokopchuk, Progressive Conservative Party of Saskatchewan:

David Prokopchuk is running for Saskatoon Fairview. (Progressive Conservative Party of Saskatchewan)

Lowering CO2 emissions is vital, but a carbon tax is not viable solution for Saskatchewan, let alone a good one.

The government must commit to returning the tax to farmers and businesses most impacted by the federally-imposed tax.

Shah Rukh, Saskatchewan Liberals:

The Saskatchewan Liberal Party has officially selected Shah Rukh as the Liberal candidate in the upcoming byelection in Saskatoon Fairview. (Saskatchewan Liberals)

In running for the seat in Saskatoon Fairview, there's a guiding principle that leads my thinking: "I'm accountable to the citizens of Saskatoon Fairview."

With that realization, there's little room for me to bring my own biases or opinions to the table. From residents' doors, there is an overwhelming sense that a carbon tax shouldn't be in Saskatchewan.

At the same time, there is a point to be made that residents in the province are already paying a "carbon tax" with the existence of Boundary Dam 3 — this is a carbon capture facility, fully funded by taxpayers.

Absolutely all the money collected from taxes/projects (such as Boundary Dam 3) should stay in the province. This ties in with another point that I readily share with people on the doorsteps: The Saskatchewan Liberal Party is not in favour of selling our Crowns.

We need money to stay in the province— to enhance our services, and to keep costs down.

Allocation of taxes is always a good issue to bring forward.

There are many things/projects/people that rightfully deserve the extra investment. It's up to the people of Saskatchewan to decide many of those directions — I'm running to serve those people and their collective interests.

This is the second of a five-part series by CBC Saskatoon ahead of the Saskatoon Fairview byelection on Sept. 7. Each day CBC Saskatoon will publish one answer from each of the five candidates to a question regarding a pressing Saskatchewan issue.