'Trudeau’s carbon tax is now in effect. Get ready to see your home heating costs soar!' read one of the party’s Facebook ads

OTTAWA — The Conservative Party of Canada recently launched a new ad campaign claiming that the federal government’s carbon tax “has now come into effect.”

The only problem is — it hasn’t.

Distroscale

“Trudeau’s carbon tax is now in effect. Get ready to see your home heating costs soar!” read one of the party’s Facebook ads. The ad linked to a page on the Conservative Party’s website that asked supporters to sign their opposition to the “Liberal tax garb (sic).”

“The massive Liberal carbon tax has now come into effect!” the webpage read. “The long-awaited Liberal carbon tax came into effect this year and all Canadians can now expect to pay more for everything. This means that Canadians will be paying higher prices on groceries, gas for the car, heating our homes, and other basic necessities in the lives of hardworking Canadians.” The ads and webpage have been corrected since the Post contacted the party for comment.

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In fact, the Liberals have yet to table their carbon tax legislation. Last month, Finance Minister Bill Morneau and Environment Minister Catherine McKenna sent letters to all the provinces and territories giving them until September 2018 to submit details of their carbon pricing plans. Those that want to use the federal carbon price are asked to confirm that by the end of March, so that the $10-per-tonne carbon tax can be in place by September. Any jurisdiction that doesn’t meet the federal requirement will have a $20-per-tonne tax imposed in January 2019.

Marie-Pascale Des Rosiers, a spokesperson for McKenna, said the Conservative Party’s ad campaign was “factually incorrect.”

The federal benchmark, which will apply to any jurisdiction that doesn’t develop its own carbon price, will set a $10-per-tonne tax in 2018, rising by $10 annually to reach $50 per tonne in 2022.

“The federal carbon pricing backstop is designed to be flexible, but also to provide consistency and fairness across the country,” McKenna’s office said in a statement. “That’s really important to the many businesses that operate in more than one province.”

Four provinces — Quebec, Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia — already have carbon prices in place, covering more than 80 per cent of Canadians. Alberta’s carbon tax was hiked 50 per cent, from $20 to $30 per tonne, on Jan. 1, prompting United Conservative Party Leader Jason Kenney to post a New Year’s Eve video of himself filling up his truck with gas and promising to scrap the tax if elected.

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British Columbia’s NDP government has promised to raise that province’s carbon tax by $5 a year starting in April 2018. B.C.’s carbon price has remained at $30 per tonne since 2012. Quebec and Ontario both have cap-and-trade systems in place.

Most of the remaining provinces have now outlined their own carbon pricing plans. Manitoba has said it will set a carbon tax of $25 per tonne, which won’t increase annually. The federal government has responded, saying Manitoba will be in compliance for the first couple of years, but its tax will then have to go up.

New Brunswick intends to impose a carbon tax in April, but the provincial government plans to shift that amount from the existing gas tax, to avoid any overall increase in gas prices. McKenna has suggested that won’t meet federal requirements.

Nova Scotia plans to put in place a cap-and-trade system this year, while Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and the territories have not outlined their own plans.

Saskatchewan unveiled a climate change strategy in December, but it doesn’t include a carbon tax. Outgoing Premier Brad Wall has threatened to take the federal government to court if it attempts to impose a carbon price on that province. The candidates running to replace him have also voiced their opposition.

Ottawa insists it has the legal authority to impose a carbon price on provinces and territories that don’t create their own.