In a new ad, the Conservative Party of Canada claims that the carbon tax and rebate will cost Canadians 22.5 cents more per litre at the gas pump. There’s just one problem: those figures have no basis in reality. Indeed, even according to the anti-carbon tax stickers that Premier Doug Ford’s government forced gasoline retailers to post in Ontario, a $50 per tonne carbon tax would only add 11 cents per litre by 2022.

“We’ve gotten used to conservative politicians ignoring both the rebate and the fact that eight out of ten households get back more in rebates than they pay in taxes,” says Michael Bernstein, the executive director of Clean Prosperity. “But this is a new level of dishonesty.  What Canadians need right now is an honest conversation about climate change, the carbon tax and rebate, and what the real costs of climate inaction are.”

In August, Clean Prosperity released its “You Can’t Fake Facts Campaign”, which drew attention to the fact that some people who opposed the tax were inclined to use fake facts to attack the carbon tax.  This new ad by the Conservatives seems to mean they’re comfortable using such fake facts. But the actual facts are clear: the carbon tax and rebate is the most efficient and least costly way to reduce emissions — one that protects households, supports industry, and accelerates the development of clean technology.

“Using fake facts to attack climate policies is not much better than climate denial.  I would encourage the Conservative Party of Canada to take down this deceptive and misleading ad, and instead focus their energy on improving their own climate plan. The best way they can do that is by abandoning their opposition to carbon taxes and incorporating one into their own platform. The carbon tax and rebate is, after all, the most conservative way to address climate change — and that’s a fact.”