Overview
- Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre proposed suspending the federal excise tax and the GST on gasoline and diesel through year-end and scrapping the Clean Fuel Standard, estimating average family savings of about $1,200 at a federal cost near $5 billion.
- Prime Minister Mark Carney said the government is watching oil-driven price spikes linked to the Middle East conflict and looking for ways to cushion the blow for Canadians.
- Economists at Desjardins and Scotiabank said higher oil prices likely boost federal revenues and argued targeted aid, such as GST benefit top-ups, would better reach people hit hardest than broad pump-tax cuts.
- Gas prices tracked by the Canadian Automobile Association averaged more than $1.82 per litre on Wednesday, up from about $1.32 a year ago, which raises commuting costs and pushes up shipping bills that feed into grocery prices.
- Alberta’s automatic gas-tax relief, which adjusts quarterly when oil crosses set thresholds, did not trigger on April 1 under its rules despite oil trading near US$110, highlighting how timing formulas can delay relief.