The Provincial Government is calling on Ottawa to halt a scheduled increase to the carbon tax on April 1st.

“I will be introducing motion in Alberta’s legislature later today to clearly demonstrate our opposition to the Trudeau government’s April Fool’s Day prank of hiking the carbon tax on April the 1st right when Canadians are struggling with rising costs on everything from food and grocery stores to home heating to filling up our cars,” said Alberta Premier Jason Kenney. 

The motion being introduced in the legislature is:

“Be it resolved that the Legislative Assembly call on the Government of Canada to stop its planned April 1, 2022 increase of the carbon tax to $50 per ton, and its further plan to increase the carbon tax to $170 per ton, given that Canadian families are struggling with the highest inflation in 30 years.”

According to the Bank of Canada, the scheduled April 1 increase of the carbon tax to $50 a ton will increase inflation by an estimated 0.5 per cent while inflation is already at a 30-year high.The federal carbon tax rate on gasoline is set to increase again on April 1, from just under nine cents per litre to just over 11 cents per litre.

“The best thing a government can do during inflationary pressures is to spend less, borrow less and tax less. We are doing just that, but in order for Albertans to feel the difference, the federal government needs to do the same. Halting the carbon tax is critical at a time when inflation is already challenging families across the country,” said Travis Toews, President of Treasury Board and Minister of Finance.