Saskatchewan to remove industrial carbon tax: premier

WATCH: On Wednesday, Premier Scott Moe announced on social media that Saskatchewan is now a carbon tax free province.

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says the province has removed its industrial carbon tax.

“Saskatchewan is now a carbon tax free province – the first carbon tax free province in Canada,” Moe said in a video posted to social media late Wednesday afternoon.

“Now that the two federal parties and their leaders have announced their plans for removing the carbon tax – Saskatchewan is taking the next step by reducing the industrial carbon tax rate charge to zero.”

Moe says the immediate effects of the decision will include the removal of the carbon tax from residents’ SaskPower bills.

“In the longer term, it will reduce the cost of other consumer products that have the industrial carbon tax built right into their price,” the premier added.

Moe went on to argue that removing the industrial tax will help make businesses in the province more competitive in the face of tariffs from the United States and China.

“I would hope that all of the parties running in the federal election would agree with those objectives and allow the provinces to regulate in this area without imposing the federal backstop,” Moe said in the message.

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Prior to assuming his role as leader of the federal Liberals, Mark Carney vowed to remove the consumer carbon tax but opted to maintain the industrial charge – arguing that many of Canada’s trade relationships would be negatively impacted if the price on carbon is dropped.

Carbon pollution pricing differs across Canada.

Manitoba, Nunavut and Yukon use the federal pricing system in full while Quebec, British Columbia and the Northwest Territories have fully provincial systems.

Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador,

New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Ontario, Alberta and Saskatchewan use a mix of provincial and federal regulations.

In Saskatchewan, the federal fuel charge is applied for residents while a provincial system was created for industrial producers.

Premier Moe is expected to elaborate on the announcement at an event scheduled for 9 a.m. Thursday.