And... the Supreme Court sides with Carbon Pricing

I want to say "I don't know why governments were challenging the Federal government on this". But, the truth is, I have some ideas. And as usual, they aren't particularly flattering.

I was reasonably sure from the outset that the government would win this case. But, as another article I read (can't find the link) pointed out... if they lost, it was basically going to be ONLY because of concessions it made to allow the Provinces to enact their own controls. And, by and large, it seemed inevitable that if the government lost that they would simply update the law to remove those freedoms, because climate change is still an important topic for many voters. So, it is unlikely that the government would simply allow the existing plan to collapse.

Put another way, the Provinces contesting the ruling were basically fighting to force the government to strip MORE power from the Provinces? Well, ironically... I would say that in a roundabout way the answer is yes.

Keep in mind, ALL of these challenges lost in Provincial courts already. It was pretty clear from the outset that a win at the Federal level was highly unlikely.

So why do something which could backfire? Pretty easy. In politics, topics don't tend to have the staying power climate change has had. So a part of it was likely a political stunt of the time. The government promised they would fight this. So they did. Not because they thought they could win. But, most likely to maintain or improve their standing with their base.

Also, it never really mattered what the outcome was. A loss would re-ignite the rage in Conservative supporters and a win would as well. And a win which lead to the Federal government taking even MORE control would have been more likely to garner additional support. And, if you can get enough additional support, then you can maybe win an election and overturn the law.

In short, a common tactic these days when there is an opposition party at the federal level is to spend tax payer money litigating with the government to bolster or maintain support. It is utterly disgusting. 

The judge who provided the commentary on the ruling made two good points which go hand in hand; climate change is a national concern and the Provinces have already proven that without Federal oversight there is no reasonable expectation that the problem will be addressed.