The Government of Ontario is taking its fight over Ottawa’s controversial carbon tax to the Supreme Court of Canada.
Ontario has filed to have its fight against the federal government’s carbon tax heard by the country’s top court after the province lost its initial challenge in a lower court. The Government of Ontario claims in its appeal that the federal carbon tax enacted by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government this past April is unconstitutional.
Trudeau instituted a federal carbon tax in Ontario, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and New Brunswick after those provinces failed to implement a provincial carbon tax. In June, the Ontario Court of Appeal rejected Ontario’s argument that the carbon tax was unconstitutional.
Ontario is not alone in suing the federal government over the carbon tax, which is expected to be a major issue in the October federal election. Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba have also each filed lawsuits against the carbon tax, and a favorable ruling from the Supreme Court for Ontario could allow those other provinces to remove the tax.
