Clean Fuel Regulations came into effect in July of last year, and it’s a quarter of what it will be by the time 2023 arrives. It’s an additional cost above carbon tax. The Federal Gas Tax is increasing every April 1 from here on out to 2030. The price of gas will grow, as the federal carbon tax is scheduled to rise incrementally to $170 per tonne in 2030.

This April 1 will see Trudeau raise the federal carbon tax from $65 to $80 per tonne of greenhouse gas emissions.

The Parliamentary Budget Officer provides independent economic and financial analysis to Canada’s Parliament and says that by the time we reach 2030, 80 per cent of Manitobans will pay more in gas tax than what they will receive in rebates. By 2030, the average net cost for Canadian households paying carbon tax will climb to about $1,490 in Manitoba for the year.

 

After rebates for 2024 and 2025, 60 per cent of Manitobans will pay between $377 and $911 in 2024-25 after rebates.

Dan McTeague is president of Canadians for Affordable Energy and also runs gas prediction sites for many cities in the nation. He explains clean fuel regulation is their second attempt to reduce emissions.

“We’re not talking pollutants here; we’re talking CO2. But they want those emissions down,” says McTeague. “They’ve targeted the oil and gas sector and what they’ve actually done is said that you have to reduce your emissions of CO2 by 30 per cent by 2030. To do that, refineries across Canada have had two options, with the first one to simply pass on the cost to Canadians. We’re seeing that in British Columbia, where the average cost of the clean fuel standard is about $0.17 a litre. We haven’t paid that here in the rest of the country.”

 

He notes Atlantic Canada started to implement a clean fuel standard in response to the federal government’s mandate last July 1st. That increased gas prices about $.06 to $.08 a litre in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, and PEI.

“Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta have so far not had to pay that. But what it does mean is that there are more taxes coming down the pipeline. Refineries in our region — Quebec all the way out to Alberta — have been able to mix a lot more ethanol in gasoline. People are noticing this. They’re noticing their mileage isn’t as great because ethanol does not have the same energy properties or density as gasoline. So, we’re going to go 15 per cent ethanol across Canada. Once that’s used up, to meet that 30 per cent reduction, refineries are going to have to buy carbon credits. And that’s where it gets very pricey. Ultimately, it starts at $.04 to $.06 a litre going up by that amount, say $.04 a litre to 2030. And by 2030, it will be an additional $.20 a litre on fuel, $.22 or $.23 on diesel. And of course, that’s on top of the existing carbon tax.”

 

He says carbon tax will see prices go up every April 1st from what it is today — $.3743 cents a litre by 2030.

“In addition to that $0.20, you’re looking at another $0.30 a litre plus GST. So, it’s going to make gasoline and diesel very expensive. It’s deliberate and it’s intentional. It’s to tell people that you have to find other alternatives to things that they consider pollutants, which is so important. The word ‘pollution’ is used very, very loosely here. They’re considering CO2 a pollutant which, as we know scientifically, is inaccurate and highly misleading. CO2 is not a pollutant and it’s very much a part of what provides and sustains life.”

McTeague says this means that our farmers, miners, foresters, and others, must find alternatives like electricity.

 

“Good luck with that, because I’m not sure that hauling massive loads, whatever they’re going to do with electric chargers in the middle of a 2,000-acre field, is going to cut the mustard.  I’m being flippant, but I think people have to recognize just how dumb that is. Harvesters and tillers — that kind of heavy equipment — machinery doesn’t run on electric-sourced power.”

He notes even if it was possible, the amount of energy required to meet that is astronomical. McTeague says this takes us in several other directions.

“The problem is that what we’re looking at here is that no one’s really thought this through. Everyone wants to think that we have a responsibility, but they don’t want to talk about costs, and they didn’t for the past four years. You couldn’t get consumers or anybody to talk about costs. Now they are, because they’re realizing that the rebates don’t cut it. The Parliamentary Budget Officer says that the rebates provided by the governor on the first carbon tax fell well short, and people are finding that it’s not something you want to support. And as long as you have a government saying, ‘Down your throat, you take it, you eat it, you absorb it. We don’t care what it does to your quality of life; too bad,’ that’s the dilemma. And I’m not sure how to resolve it. I’m not in the business of politics anymore. I was a Liberal MP for 18 years, but this is certainly not something I would have supported with my party. I would have told them to back off quickly because you’re going to lose the next election, and they are going to lose.”