WHERE DOES THE MONEY FROM THE CARBON TAX GO?

The federal carbon tax rose as scheduled at the beginning of the April, capping weeks of near-record-high gas prices. On April 1st, the gas levy rose 2.2 cents per litre and now costs most drivers 11 cents per litre at the pumps. At the best of times, the carbon tax is a hotly debated political issue, with some calling it no more than an unfair way to hit consumers’ pocketbooks and others insisting it is a necessary tool in the fight against climate change. With the sky-high gas prices of late, the role that the Ukraine war has played in the energy crunch, and some provinces like Alberta and Ontario announcing cuts to their own provincial gas taxes, the volume has only gone up on the carbon tax issue. Daily life at a Petro-Canada gas station in Edmonton during the COVID-19 pandemic. (NurPhoto/ Contributor/ Getty Images) Daily life at a Petro-Canada gas station in Edmonton during the COVID-19 pandemic. (NurPhoto/ Contributor/ Getty Images) Minister of the Environment, Steven Guilbeault, found himself defending the role of gas taxes as he criticized the choices by some Premiers to trim theirs, stating that such backpedaling worked against the climate change fight. He called the cuts “short-term” and “the easy solution,” adding that “climate change is killing people in Canada.”