OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the Canada Revenue Agency is “very, very good” at getting the money it’s owed, and Saskatchewan’s premier should take note of that.

Scott Moe has pledged the province will not send Ottawa the money it collects from the federal carbon price on natural gas.

That move breaks the law, and Trudeau says the CRA has ways of making sure it can collect.

On Tuesday, the prime minister said his government will keep sending carbon rebate cheques to people in Saskatchewan. 

The jurisdictional spat began when the Liberals created a temporary exemption to the carbon price for home heating oil. 

The Saskatchewan government says that’s unfair and politically motivated, because the exemption has an outsized impact in Atlantic Canada.

At a press conference in Oakville, Ont., on Wednesday morning, Trudeau said the CRA has quasi-judicial powers to ensure it collects what it’s owed.

“Having an argument with CRA about not wanting to pay your taxes is not a position I want anyone to be in. Good luck with that, Premier Moe,” he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 24, 2024.

The Canadian Press