On April 1, the Trudeau government will increase the carbon tax on oil by 25 per cent (from $40 per tonne to $50 per tonne), causing prices to spike by another $0.11.

With gas prices already the highest in recorded history and those in BC paying more than anyone on the North American continent (over $2 per litre), it’s clear that there needs to be an active strategy to lower prices, even if it means reversing one’s ideologically motivated green policies.

Across Ontario, many are reporting prices approaching $1.90 per litre, and many are worried that prices will reach $2.00 by the end of the month, if not week.

The cost of heating homes is also rising, with the price of furnace oil, which many older residents rely on, rising by another $0.20 per litre last Friday.

However, Trudeau appears utterly unperturbed by the hardships of Canadians, choosing instead to hop on a private jet to talk to European leaders about the Ukraine-Russia war.

Meanwhile, in Alberta, Premier Jason Kenney has addressed the issue by introducing a policy that will effectively slash the $0.13 provincial gas tax on April 1 to, at the very least, combat the ongoing assault of the federal government on Canadians’ wallets.

“We’ve heard Albertans’ concerns about the rising cost of living loud and clear. While the federal government is set to increase the carbon tax April 1, Alberta’s government is taking the opposite approach and stepping up to offer relief. Stopping the provincial fuel tax puts money back in the pockets of Albertans when they need it most,” said Kenney.

While it’s a step in the right direction, without the federal government actively pursuing a way out of this gas crisis, such as pausing or ending the carbon tax and working with the US to resume work on the Keystone XL pipeline, it may be only a momentary relief for Albertans.

And unfortunately, Trudeau doesn’t appear interested in either of those proposed steps, showing utter indifference even though becoming an energy-independent nation with affordable gas is an easily achievable goal.

On the issue of the carbon tax, Kenney says, “We believe it punishes people for living normal lives with no meaningful environmental benefit, and that is especially clear right now with huge inflation in energy prices.”

Calgary MP Michelle Rempel Garner concurs, adding that the least Trudeau could do is “acknowledge we’re not working in the same economic conditions we were in when he put the carbon tax into operation.”