Manitoba government intends to ask Ottawa to get rid of carbon tax in province

The Manitoba government has confirmed it intends to ask Ottawa to remove the carbon tax from this province.

Following a meeting Thursday between Manitoba's premier and federal Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre, a news release put out by the Conservatives thanked Wab Kinew for calling on Ottawa to get rid of the backstop.

Kinew, however, has only previously said the province ought to be exempt from the tax on home heating and that his government planned to continue to make the case that the backstop isn't needed in Manitoba.

The premier's office told CBC News on Thursday that Kinew hasn't made a formal request to the feds to eliminate the backstop, but the Manitoba government is in fact working on a proposal and Ottawa is aware of it.

The carbon tax, also known as the price on carbon, came into effect at $20 per tonne in 2019. It's climbed in the years since and is set to rise from $65 per tonne to $80 Monday.

The hike will add 3.3 cents to a litre of gasoline and 2.9 cents to a cubic metre of natural gas. The carbon rebates sent to households every three months are also being increased.

The federal «backstop» carbon price is imposed by Ottawa on provinces that have not developed a carbon pricing plan of their own that meets or exceeds the federal one. People in those provinces receive federal carbon rebate payments as compensation.

The carbon tax is meant to be a financial incentive for people and businesses to change their habits to burn less fossil fuel, instead transitioning to greener forms of energy. For example, a homeowner might make changes to conserve on heating or install a heat pump, or a driver may switch to an electric vehicle.

Kinew said during a press conference March 13 the province would «continue to make that