Atlantic premiers will not get more time from Ottawa to submit their plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault has rejected their last-minute request for an extension.
“Atlantic provinces, like all other provinces and territories, have had a year to prepare their submissions,” Guilbeault said in a statement to our newsroom on Friday.
“The deadlines were clearly and repeatedly communicated and are based on the legal requirements to update the national pollution pricing system at regular, predictable intervals.”
In a letter sent to the minister on Thursday, the premiers raised concerns about how carbon pricing could impact residents in Atlantic Canada.
“We are deeply concerned about the affordability impacts of carbon pricing on households in our region, especially as almost 40 percent of Atlantic Canadians experience energy poverty – by far the highest rate in the country,” the letter states.
The premiers are worried the costs of energy will only make the current pressures stemming from sky-high inflation more challenging for Atlantic Canadians. They believe their discussion with the environment minister needs to focus on how to mitigate these risks.
Guilbeault said he is committed to working with Atlantic provinces over the next two weeks to identify “practical programming solutions on the specific home heating concerns that they have raised.”
Provinces and territories have until end-of-day Friday to submit their own carbon pricing plans to Ottawa. If their plan is turned down, a federal carbon tax will be ushered in next year.
Under the federal plan, the price of carbon — which currently stands at $50 per tonne — will increase by $15 each year until 2030, when it will reach $170.
Premier Blaine Higgs told reporters on Thursday that New Brunswick has its own plan to put forward if the extension was not approved.
In a statement on Friday, a spokesperson for the Department of Environment and Local Government confirmed the province’s plan will be submitted before the end of the day.
“We won’t be discussing our proposal until the federal government has had time to review it,” Anne Mooers wrote in the statement.
Mooers said the province remains committed to delivering a carbon pricing system that is fair to New Brunswickers.
However, she said they are “deeply concerned about affordability impacts of carbon pricing on households.”
“We look forward to discussing these concerns with the federal minister and identifying practical solutions.”
With files from Skye Bryden-Blom and Steve MacArthur.
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