Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister didn’t mince words this morning when he responded to what he says are “threats” from the Federal Government.

Pallister cited media reports with quotes from spokespeople for Environment and Climate Change Minister Catherine McKenna, which said Ottawa will find a way to impose its carbon pricing plan on Manitoba, even though the province has created its own plan.

“The threat from Ottawa to impose their plan on Manitoba is a very real threat,” Pallister said this morning. “I have a simple message for Ottawa today, back off or we’ll see you in court. If you can’t prove your plan works better than the Manitoba plan, you have no right to invoke any type of levy on the people of Manitoba. If you can’t prove your plan is better for the environment than our plan, back off.”

The Federal carbon plan would introduce a carbon tax of $10 per tonne this year and ramp up to $50 per tonne by 2022. The Manitoba plan will start at $25 per tonne this year and keep it at that rate for the five year period. The Federal backstop wouldn’t kick in until 2020, at which point the carbon tax under the federal plan would be at $30 per tonne.

Pallister has said in the past that Manitoba should have its own plan because its heavy reliance on hydroelectricity is unique. The province’s plan also includes exemptions for farmers, which isn’t included in the Federal plan.

“When they say they are going to raise the carbon tax, they’re hurting our economy, they’re creating unnecessary uncertainty and they’re frightening our small businesses and our farmers,” Pallister said. “They’re actually hurting Manitobans with those types of threats.”

Pallister said he’s hopeful they won’t get to a point where they have to engage in a court battle with Ottawa, but after seeking legal advice he thinks if it came to that, the province would win.

He says their legal advice told them if they tried to fight the plan outright they would lose, but if they tried to fight it while also developing their own plan, they would have a better chance of winning.

Environment and Climate Change spokeswoman Caroline Theriault says Manitoba's current approach puts them in good shape for this year and next but wouldn't elaborate on the following years. 

"The federal price schedule is clear," Theriault said in an emailed statement. "We've also been clear that we will assess each province and territory against the federal standard." 

"Carbon pricing plans from provinces and terrirotires are due September 1st. We will compete the first review of those plans shortly after that."