The four premiers from Atlantic Canada are asking the federal government to delay implementation of its new clean fuel regulations.
The provincial leaders, including P.E.I. Premier Dennis King, said in a news release Thursday that they want a pause until a plan can be developed to address what they call “the disproportionate impact of the regulations on Atlantic Canadians.”
The Council of Atlantic Premiers met virtually Wednesday with Steven Guilbeault, the federal minister of environment and climate change, to discuss the issue.
King, who currently chairs the council, had voiced his concerns about the timing of the new regulations this week in the Prince Edward Island legislature. He said inflation is hitting Atlantic Canadians hard, and the prospect of two federal initiatives raising the price of gasoline this year is not a pleasant one.
Both the Clean Fuel Regulations and the carbon tax increase are scheduled to come into effect on July 1.
The premiers are concerned about the impact of the regulations on fuel prices and fuel supplies. They also worry it will increase the costs of other goods imported to the region.
“Atlantic premiers are encouraged by the minister’s commitment to work with them to address concerns expressed by producers and consumers in the region,” they said in a release Thursday.
