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This article was published 30/10/2018 (698 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister received a rare show of support from the NDP on Tuesday, when he slammed a federal decision to effectively lower carbon taxes on New Brunswick coal production.

The premier cited Ottawa's apparent retreat from a promise to make major polluters pay as yet another example of how the federal government is treating eastern provinces more leniently than western provinces on carbon levies.

JESSICA BOTELHO-URBANSKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES NDP leader Wab Kinew said the decision to exempt New Brunswick coal is "terrible" for the environment.

"What's offensive is that the feds are making these exemptions and exceptions as a matter of course now, as a side deal it seems, almost as a mechanism to try to convince other provinces they should nod their heads and agree (to the tax)," Pallister said.

Opposition Leader Wab Kinew, who has been critical of the premier in his fight with Ottawa over the carbon tax, accusing him of playing politics on the issue, said the decision to exempt New Brunswick coal is "terrible" for the environment.

"I think the federal government just lost a lot of credibility making that move," he told reporters at the Manitoba legislature.

"It's starting to look more and more and more like it's just two sides playing politics against the other," Kinew said. "And in the meantime, those of us who want action to help the environment... are standing, wondering when is someone going to step up and show leadership."

Manitoba has decommissioned its coal-fired power production. Ottawa has said it will ban coal-powered generating stations across the country in 2030.

Pallister has previously ridiculed Ottawa's decision to credit Newfoundland for promising to phase out coal sometime in the future. He has said it appears Quebec taxpayers are getting a sweetheart deal on the carbon tax compared with Manitobans.

"We continue to see examples where the federal government is desperately trying to get buy-in from provinces that previously have demonstrated concerns about their approach on the whole carbon tax thing," he said.

Meanwhile, the premier continued to signal Tuesday he is considering some form of court action against Ottawa's carbon tax, which will kick in April 1 at $20 per tonne and escalate to $50 per tonne by 2022. An announcement could come this week, officials said.

Early this month, Pallister announced Manitoba would withdraw its proposed $25-a-tonne carbon tax, after the feds wouldn't move from its position the levy would eventually have to go up.

Ottawa recently indicated it mulling the withdrawal of a proposed $67-million contribution to Manitoba for more than a dozen green projects -- a development that has incensed the provincial government.

"That would be more about petulance than it would be about fighting climate change," Pallister said Tuesday.

Kinew encouraged the province to continue to negotiate with Ottawa to resolve their differences on the carbon tax.

"I think we need to see a consistent approach from the federal government," the NDP leader said. "They shouldn't be cutting a deal (with New Brunswick) on coal. And they should be ensuring Manitoba gets access to the $67 million."

Manitoba Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont said he didn't have a lot of information about the concession to New Brunswick. He said one of the "pitfalls" of the federal approach is that there's a patchwork of carbon price schemes across the country.

"I actually think that there should be a stronger role for the federal government to invest in a national strategy and help the provinces in a positive way," Lamont said.

larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca