Toronto, ON: Ontario was already outperforming its environmental goals before the federal government imposed its carbon tax, according to documents released by Environment and Climate Change Canada.

“The federal government’s latest GHG inventory report proves the Trudeau carbon tax is just a tax grab disguised as an environmental policy,” said Jasmine Moulton, Ontario Director for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. “Trudeau said the purpose of the carbon tax was to reduce emissions, but B.C.’s emissions were going up with a carbon tax while Ontario’s emissions were dropping without one.” 

British Columbia, the province with the highest carbon tax in the country – which currently costs 8.9 cents per litre of gasoline – has seen carbon emissions increase 10 per cent in the past three years.

Ontario’s emissions target for 2018 was 171.3 million tonnes, but federal documents showed provincial emissions were actually 165 million tonnes for 2018.

The federal government implemented a carbon tax of 4.4 cents per litre on gasoline in 2019. It raised the carbon tax to 6.7 cents per litre in 2020. It’s scheduled to hit 11 cents per litre in 2022.

“Trudeau’s ill-conceived carbon tax scheme doesn’t work and it adds to the financial stress on taxpayers who are struggling to get by,” said Moulton. “A useless tax is the last thing Ontarians need right now.”

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Jasmine Moulton

Ontario Director, Canadian Taxpayers Federation

e: [email protected]

p: 416-573-5458