Saskatchewan is squaring up for a fight with the taxman, but at its core, this battle is about provincial autonomy and federal overreach. It’s about how Canada operates as a country and how people want to be governed.

The fight centres on Saskatchewan’s decision to stop remitting carbon tax payments to the federal government for natural gas used for home heating. It came as a response to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s decision to exempt heating oil from the carbon levy, a move that greatly favours the Atlantic provinces, where the Liberals are hoping to shore up support.