The federal government is overstepping its boundaries, the organization said
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
A farm organization used its intervenor status to fight against the federal carbon tax.
Lawyers representing the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS) appeared in the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal on Feb. 13 to argue that the federal government is violating boundaries set out by the constitution.
“The argument is that the provinces are better suited to deal with carbon than the federal government is,” Todd Lewis, president of APAS, told Farms.com. “The closer you are to the local economy, the better off you’ll be able to manage carbon.
Todd Lewis
“Farmers have done a great job with carbon and the Province (of Saskatchewan) understands agriculture in the province, so we’d be happy to negotiate with them on carbon issues.”
Western Canadian farm groups support APAS and the other parties fighting the federal carbon tax.
Such a tax could make Canadian grain less competitive and affect grower profits, the Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association (WCGA) said.
“Farmers will fully bear the cost of this tax, shrinking our margins even further,” Levi Wood, president of WCGA, said in a statement. “We have no way to pass these costs on to end users.”
Other provinces are supporting Saskatchewan’s efforts.
Representatives from Ontario and New Brunswick appeared in court to stand united with Saskatchewan’s representatives, Lewis said.
“Those provinces are certainly onside with the Saskatchewan case,” Lewis said. “And I also think Manitoba may be going to court over this. Every province will have its say on this – one way or the other.”
The public shouldn’t expect a quick court decision. It could take weeks, months or even longer, Lewis said.