The federal government’s carbon tax increase went into effect on Thursday, drawing the ire of our local Member of Parliament. 

Tom Lukiwski, MP for Moose Jaw – Lake Centre – Lanigan, called the carbon tax increase a “cruel April Fool's Joke.” 

The Liberal government’s carbon tax has an increase of $10 per tonne per year until 2022 and then by $15 per tonne per year until 2030 to a maximum of $170 per tonne. 

Lukiwski said this is a plan that doesn’t work for Saskatchewan and especially rural Saskatchewan. 

“If you live in Govan, Sask. and have to travel to Regina for groceries or shopping, how are you going to get there? Well, you're going to hop into your truck and you're going to drive,” he said.  

“You won't be changing the habits of people in rural Saskatchewan because of the carbon tax. You'll simply be making it more expensive.” 

Lukiwski also took aim at the timing of the carbon tax increase, saying that imposing more taxes on Canadians during a pandemic when they are already struggling isn’t right. 

“Until such time that we get our economy back on track and get everyone fully vaccinated, we need to be looking after the needs of our citizens financially. Imposing a new tax at this point in time is the absolutely wrong approach to take,” he said. 

Lukiwski pointed out that here in Moose Jaw we will see the price of everything from gas to groceries go up because of the tax. 

He is calling on the federal government to scrap the carbon tax and added that the Conservative Party will be announcing their own environmental plan in the coming days and it will not include a price on carbon.