The Trudeau government has long preached the mantra that pollution “should not be free", and, in a serious escalation of the Prime Minister's radical climate agenda, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland has declined to rule out the possibility of Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe being jailed if he fails to collect the carbon tax on non-exempt home heating.

Trudeau had announced on October 26 that his government would exempt heating oil from his carbon tax for three years amid low polling and anger over unjust carbon levies. 

Moe, however, pointed out that the tax exemption would only really benefit Atlantic provinces, where oil is mainly used, while other forms of heating like propane and natural gas (the main source of heat in Western provinces) are not exempt.  

Not surprisingly, the provinces led by Liberal Party governments were the real winners from the exemption, and the citizens of provinces who do not vote Liberal were punished.

Trudeau's Minister of Rural Economic Development Gudie Hutchings even said people in the Prairies should elect more Liberals if they want a pause on the carbon tax for home heating.

The Saskatchewan Premier therefore announced that, if Trudeau does not apply the same rules to all forms of home heating, Sask Energy will stop collecting the carbon tax from January 1st as a means of extending the exemption to his province. 

Explaining that the carbon tax exemption was unfair to the 85 per cent of Saskatchewan residents who mostly use natural gas for heating, Moe said, “I cannot accept the Federal Government giving an affordability break to people in one part of Canada, but not here. So today I am calling on the Federal Government to offer the same carbon tax exemption to Saskatchewan families by extending it to all forms of home heating, not just heating oil." 

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Despite widespread criticism from Moe, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and other provincial Premiers who insist the exemption is unfair, the Liberals have dismissed Western provinces’ requests for carbon tax exemptions and instead issued threats of legal action if they refuse to collect carbon taxes. 

Trudeau himself smugly responded to Moe by saying, “There will absolutely not be any other carve-outs or suspensions on the price on pollution.” 

Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said “We expect him to comply with the laws of the land. It is a requirement that they collect that or that it be collected in some way.” 

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland raised eyebrows the most by declining to rule out the possibility of Moe being jailed should he fail to collect Trudeau’s controversial carbon tax for home heating within Saskatchewan.

“What can the federal government do to prevent [Moe] from acting unilaterally?” a reporter asked Freeland on November 3. “Will he, will the province, will anyone, incur penalties? Will there be fees? Or perhaps even jail time?”

Avoiding a direct answer, Freeland ominously warned: “The federal government expects everyone in Canada to obey the law. Canada is a country of good peace, order, and good government.”

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