Saskatchewan’s Environment Minister met with his federal counterpart today (Thurs) and came away with positive impressions. Dustin Duncan says Environment and Climate Change Minister Jonathan Wilkinson seemed willing to listen, as opposed to the previous Minister.

Duncan says the federal Minister is well aware of Saskatchewan’s concerns and the direction the provincial government would like to go. He and Wilkinson don’t agree on everything, but discussions on the carbon tax can still happen. The conversation was less than an hour, and yet the two talked about over a dozen issues, and in most of those, Duncan believes they will find some common ground.

Saskatchewan’s Environment Minister brought up the low carbon economy fund, which would give the province $62-million, but was previously denied. Duncan says Wilkinson will reconsider that decision. He also brought up the province’s concern about a lack of commitment to keep the federal carbon tax backstop at $50 per tonne after 2022. It was Duncan’s impression that former Environment Minister Catherine McKenna had a plan, but Duncan took away from today’s meeting with Wilkinson that he is willing to work with the provinces.

There is a difference of opinion about the carbon tax, but once it’s through the courts, there will be more conversations between the two Environment Ministers.