‘Patently false’: Minister slams opposition claims on carbon tax hike

Emma Graney
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The opposition is being accused of spreading “patently false” information and muddying public discourse about Canada’s carbon tax.

A meme floating around social media claims Canadans’ home heating bills will increase by 75 per cent thanks to a carbon tax hike Jan. 1.

The meme is authored by Canada Can’t Wait, a political action committee that backed conservative unity and, now, the United Conservative Party and its leader Jason Kenney. Its contents have been shared thousands of times, drawing a mix of ire, frowny-face emojis and condemnation.

But there’s one small problem — it’s wrong. Here’s why.

But I thought the carbon tax rises next year?

You’re right, it does. However, Canada’s carbon tax adds a set dollar amount to the price of gas, not a percentage hike. On Jan. 1, the tax on natural gas will increase by about 50 cents per gigajoule, to $1.52 from $1.01. But the carbon tax only applies to the natural gas portion of your bill — not the delivery or transmission costs, franchise fees or those other weird charges. (If your bill is anything like ours, those charges equal more than the cost of the gas. But that’s a story for another day.)

But I’ll still pay more.

Absolutely, and nobody likes to pay more for things. But when you take into account all of the extra charges, it’s closer to a 15 per cent hike in the cost of the natural gas portion of your bill, not an overall 75 per cent increase.