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This week, the Government of Saskatchewan will have our day in court against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s imposition of the carbon tax.

As premier, it’s my responsibility to stand up for Saskatchewan people — the parents driving their kids to the rink or dance practice, our farmers and ranchers working to feed the world, our small business owners looking to serve our communities, and everyone heating their homes during our frigid winters. Trudeau’s carbon tax will make all of these tasks more expensive, without significantly reducing emissions.

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Worse yet, Trudeau’s carbon tax is unconstitutional and fails to respect the sovereignty and autonomy of provinces for matters that fall within our jurisdiction.

Trudeau’s proposal violates the principles of federalism spelled out in Canada’s Constitution, by selectively applying the carbon tax on provinces where a federal benchmark is not met. Constitutionally, Ottawa could decide to impose a national carbon tax similar to the GST, applied uniformly across all provinces. Instead, they have violated the Constitution by selectively applying the carbon tax across our nation. By this same logic, this flawed taxation power would give the federal government the ability to impose a PST on a province that doesn’t have one, like Alberta, or create a new tax just for one province.