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EDMONTON — Alberta’s justice minister says the province is asking for a legal opinion on the constitutionality of the federal government imposing its carbon tax.

At a news conference Thursday, Doug Schweitzer said the province has filed a reference case with the Alberta Court of Appeal.

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“The federal government has recently announced that it will impose a carbon tax on Albertans starting January 1, 2020,” he said in Edmonton. “Our government contends this constitutes federal overreach into our exclusive provincial jurisdiction to manage our own affairs in a way that is suitable to local conditions.”

Schweitzer, who pegged court costs at about $300,000, said the province will use every legal tool at its disposal to fight Ottawa’s carbon price and will “continue to support other province’s challenges against this federal tax grab.”

The federal tax has already been imposed on provinces that have not implemented their own carbon levies: Ontario, New Brunswick, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. All but New Brunswick have gone to court over it.