The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) is calling on Alberta Premier Danielle Smith to challenge the federal carbon tax in court, joining forces with New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs, who has pledged to fight the tax if re-elected.“Alberta successfully led the fight against the ‘No More Pipelines’ law at the Supreme Court, and Smith should do the same against the carbon tax,” said Kris Sims, CTF Alberta Director. “Albertans are being punished every time we pay our heating bills, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is shredding constitutional accountability with his unequal application of the carbon tax.”Higgs has announced that New Brunswick will launch a legal challenge, arguing that the federal government's carbon tax "carve-outs" — removing the tax from furnace oil but not other heating sources — violate the Supreme Court’s ruling. The tax, according to the Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick, makes essential goods like gas and groceries more expensive.Last year, the federal government exempted furnace oil from the carbon tax for three years but did not apply the exemption to other home heating sources, such as natural gas. While furnace oil only accounts for 3% of residential heating energy in Canada, natural gas, which is more widely used, remains fully taxed.According to Statistics Canada, the average Alberta home uses around 2,930 cubic metres of natural gas annually. Eliminating the carbon tax on this would save the average household approximately $439 per year.“When Trudeau announced his furnace oil carve-out, he admitted the carbon tax makes life more expensive, but he left 97% of Canadian families out in the cold,” said Franco Terrazzano, CTF Federal Director. “All premiers should do everything in their power to fight the carbon tax.”A 2023 Leger poll showed that 70% of Canadians support removing the carbon tax from all home heating fuels.
