Rural Saskatchewan municipalities vote 95% against calling C02 a pollutant

The Canadian Press / Liam Richards

At Thursday's Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM) convention, rural towns and regional governments across the province voted overwhelmingly — 95% — to recognize that carbon dioxide (CO2) is not a pollutant.

The adopted resolution also calls on Premier Scott Moe's governing Saskatchewan Party to remove Saskatchewan from all national and international net-zero agreements.

Moe addressed delegates at the SARM convention about a revenue-sharing agreement between the province and regional municipalities.

Speaking to delegates at the SARM convention moments ago, I announced a record $340.2 million for the Municipal Revenue Sharing program for 2024-25.

This is a 14% increase from last year and a 167% increase since our government took office in 2007.

This record increase in… pic.twitter.com/OTdgaHTzSK

— Scott Moe (@PremierScottMoe) March 14, 2024

Moe is embroiled in a battle for carbon tax fairness with Justin Trudeau's federal Liberal government. Moe's government is not collecting the carbon tax on home heating distributed through a provincial crown corporation, Sask Energy.

Trudeau has provided a carbon tax exemption on home heating for families in one part of the country, but not here.

It’s unfair, it’s unacceptable, and here’s what we’re going to do about it. pic.twitter.com/7tb9ZeTf0l

— Scott Moe (@PremierScottMoe) October 30, 2023

Moe moved to stop collecting the carbon tax after Trudeau exempted home heating oil from the federal climate tithe scheme, which affected mostly Atlantic Canadians.

Trudeau criticizes Premier Moe and the Government of Saskatchewan for refusing to pay the carbon tax.

"You can't opt-out of Canada. We are a country of laws. We are a country of rules." https://t.co/FsKUs3Wpks pic.twitter.com/vKXMO2CRvB

— Alexandra Lavoie (@ThevoiceAlexa) March 13, 2024

The feds now threaten Moe with "consequences," although the nature has not been clarified.

"There will have to be consequences," warns Trudeau's energy minister, Jonathan Wilkinson, over Sask. Premier Scott Moe's decision to stop collecting the carbon tax.

Premiers pushing back against the Trudeau Liberals is like "anarchy," he says.https://t.co/pmQJNq9XF2 pic.twitter.com/u0w1GxHJcD

— Rebel News Canada (@RebelNews_CA) March 6, 2024

The federal carbon tax, a chief contributor to inflation, according to the Bank of Canada's Tiff Macklem, jumps to $80/tonne on April 1 from the current rate of $65/tonne.

SARM is an independent association of rural municipal governments, describing itself as the voice of rural Saskatchewan for over 100 years.