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As the province heads into election season, the Sask. NDP is reiterating its call to pause the provincial gas tax.
On Monday, NDP Leader Carla Beck committed to a six-month pause of the 15 cent per litre tax on gasoline and diesel fuel on Day One, if elected as premier.
Beck said she was doing so to help people in Saskatchewan deal with the cost of living, which she called the number one issue for voters in the province.
“The carbon tax has not been effective. We’ve got the worst of both worlds in this province right now, where we see rising emissions and costs that people cannot afford,” Beck said at a media event on Monday.
“There are other options to be looked at here, and that’s what we’re calling for. A rethink of how we’re going to reduce emissions in this country effectively, and also not increase costs for people at a time that they can ill afford to take on extra costs.”
Beck said the NDP is seeking a country-wide approach to handling emissions that doesn’t disproportionately penalize provinces like Saskatchewan.
The NDP’s proposed gas tax relief would follow similar moves made by governments of Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario and Newfoundland and Labrador.
The Saskatchewan Party provincial government rejected Beck’s proposal, saying the federal carbon tax has been the main driver of inflation while the provincial tax doesn’t change with the price of fuel.
“Saskatchewan is the most affordable place in Canada to live. Still, we recognize that Saskatchewan people are facing cost of living pressures just like everyone else, and that’s why we have taken many steps to keep life in Saskatchewan affordable, including removing the Trudeau-NDP carbon tax on home heating,” said Minister of Finance Donna Harpauer in an emailed statement on Monday.
“That has resulted in Saskatchewan’s inflation rate being consistently lower than the rest of Canada.”
Letter to Ottawa
The statement went on to say that pausing the tax for a year brings a cost of $500 million, which the government spends on highways.
Without the revenue, Harpauer said the government would be left to either raise taxes, cut funding to other areas of government, borrow money, or simply not repair highways.
“The NDP has continually called for a pause of the fuel tax without a plan to maintain highways,” Harpauer said.
“They have also called for an overall increase in government spending in many other areas and lower borrowing. You simply cannot cut taxes, increase spending and not borrow simultaneously.”
Letter sent to feds
In light of the federal supply and confidence breakup between the Liberals and the NDP, Beck sent a letter addressed to Prime Minister and Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre on Sunday.
In the letter, Beck expressed her desire to see increased federal funding for health care, but didn’t give an exact figure or range when asked about it on Monday.
“It is also declaring that we will be willing partners at the table looking to effectively spend provincial dollars and federal dollars to deliver results,” Beck said.
“More money is important in places like health care and education, but it’s also important that we are focused on working with those doctors; those nurses; those communities; those working in our hospitals and our health-care system, to not just be spending more money to actually ensure that we’re getting better results.”
Beck said the NDP was also looking for follow-through on promised childcare spaces, tariffs on Chinese steel, funding for improved broadband connectivity and the hiring of more RCMP officers.
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