The confrontation between the government of the province of Saskatchewan in western Canada and the federal government regarding the federal carbon tax is escalating.

Yesterday, Thursday, the Premier of Saskatchewan, Scott Moe, announced that "SaskPower," the public electricity company in the province, will stop collecting the carbon tax on electric heating starting from January 1, 2024.

This announcement comes a few weeks after the Saskatchewan Party government announced that "SaskEnergy," the public company responsible for distributing natural gas in the province, will stop collecting the federal carbon tax on gas heating.

Moe explained today that his province will have to determine who uses an electric heating system and what percentage of the monthly electricity bill is allocated to heating.

"But these are all details; we will determine everything later," added the Premier of Saskatchewan in a video he posted on the "X" (formerly "Twitter") social media platform.

"Our government was able to make the decision not to collect a tax on natural gas anymore because you own the natural gas (through 'SaskEnergy'). You also own 'SaskPower,' and that is why we decided to stop collecting the carbon tax on electric heating starting January 1," Moe added, addressing the residents of his province.

According to Moe, although about 85% of Saskatchewan residents use natural gas to heat their homes, the remaining 15% use other heating sources, including electricity for a wide segment of them.

It is noteworthy that the Saskatchewan government presented on November 16th of this year a bill aimed at allowing the province to stop collecting the federal carbon tax on natural gas bills starting January 1, 2024.

The bill, which was presented today in the Legislative Assembly in Regina, defines the province of Saskatchewan as the sole distributor of natural gas over its territory.

Such a measure would provide legal protection for the directors of "SaskEnergy" in case they do not pay the federal carbon tax.