Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe speaks during a news conference in Regina, on March 20.Heywood Yu/The Canadian Press

There was a time, just earlier this year, when Premier Scott Moe’s government acknowledged it was breaking the law.

Now, that messaging has drastically changed.

Mr. Moe’s governing Saskatchewan Party decided not to collect or remit carbon levies on home heating owed to Ottawa. It was an act of protest, because the federal Liberals exempted home heating oil from carbon pricing to hold onto votes in Atlantic Canada, but didn’t do the same for other types of fuels – namely, natural gas – commonly used in other parts of the country.

You could certainly take issue with Saskatchewan’s strategy. But there was a logic to it. The Liberals sullied their carbon-pricing system with the clumsy political manoeuvring of the exemption. Saskatchewan’s stance was, and is, that the policy was deeply unfair.

Mr. Moe appeared willing to bear the fallout, even getting the Canada Revenue Agency to allow politicians to be responsible for the malfeasance instead of public servants. He told The Canadian Press in December: “It’s unfortunate that there will be a violation of federal........

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