‘No soup for you.’That was essentially the response from Energy and Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson on Tuesday in response to reporter’s questions on extending a three-year heating tax holiday in other parts of the country outside the Maritimes.“There will be no more carve-outs coming,” Wilkinson said on his way into cabinet on Tuesday..Last week the federal government waived the carbon tax on home heating oil for three years in an apparent effort to shore up support in Atlantic Canada where most houses are heated with the low-grade, carbon dense bunker oil.Although it ostensibly applies across the country the vast majority of homes in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba — and even Ontario and Quebec — are heated with clean burning natural gas.Since then, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been under pressure from opposition leaders, and even members of his own caucus, to extend the heating exemption equally to other parts of the country..Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe has even threatened to stop collecting Ottawa’s share of the carbon heating tax in his province effective January 1 if he doesn’t.Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said her government is considering a Supreme Court challenge based on ‘fairness’ grounds of applying the tax equally across the country.Ontario Premier Doug Ford called the policy “completely unfair.”Even in BC, Premier David Eby has said it is “unfair” for Atlantic Canada to get special relief when his province has had its own carbon tax since 2008.Opposition leader Pierre Poilievre has called for the Liberals to just “axe the tax” altogether..But Wilkinson defended the move, saying home heating oil is particularly expensive compared to gas and unduly affects people in rural communities and said his government is actually concerned about Maritimers — but apparently not Albertans — freezing in the dark. “Home heating oil is significantly more expensive. It has escalated significantly in the last couple of years. It is predominantly a rural thing,” Wilkinson said. “There is a lot of energy poverty concentrated with people who actually use home heating oil.”
‘No soup for you.’That was essentially the response from Energy and Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson on Tuesday in response to reporter’s questions on extending a three-year heating tax holiday in other parts of the country outside the Maritimes.“There will be no more carve-outs coming,” Wilkinson said on his way into cabinet on Tuesday..Last week the federal government waived the carbon tax on home heating oil for three years in an apparent effort to shore up support in Atlantic Canada where most houses are heated with the low-grade, carbon dense bunker oil.Although it ostensibly applies across the country the vast majority of homes in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba — and even Ontario and Quebec — are heated with clean burning natural gas.Since then, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been under pressure from opposition leaders, and even members of his own caucus, to extend the heating exemption equally to other parts of the country..Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe has even threatened to stop collecting Ottawa’s share of the carbon heating tax in his province effective January 1 if he doesn’t.Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said her government is considering a Supreme Court challenge based on ‘fairness’ grounds of applying the tax equally across the country.Ontario Premier Doug Ford called the policy “completely unfair.”Even in BC, Premier David Eby has said it is “unfair” for Atlantic Canada to get special relief when his province has had its own carbon tax since 2008.Opposition leader Pierre Poilievre has called for the Liberals to just “axe the tax” altogether..But Wilkinson defended the move, saying home heating oil is particularly expensive compared to gas and unduly affects people in rural communities and said his government is actually concerned about Maritimers — but apparently not Albertans — freezing in the dark. “Home heating oil is significantly more expensive. It has escalated significantly in the last couple of years. It is predominantly a rural thing,” Wilkinson said. “There is a lot of energy poverty concentrated with people who actually use home heating oil.”
