Feds looking at how to ‘cushion the blow’ as gas prices rise amid Iran war: Carney

• Share on Facebook
• Share on Bluesky
• Share on X
• Copy Link

“The question becomes, and this is what the government’s focused on, is how long is this going to persist and what can we do to help cushion the blow for Canadians, and that’s something we’re looking at.”

Stuck Near Shorts Creek

VSAR teams helped rescue stranded motorists

2h ago

Event Cancelled

Pentastic Hot Jazz & Music Festival cancelled after nearly 30 years

Apr 06, 2026

Flood Hazards

Requests for proposals open for Water Reclamation bridge project

Apr 06, 2026

The conflict has cut off flows of crude through the critical Strait of Hormuz and shut down energy production across parts of the Middle East. About one-fifth of the world’s oil supply comes through that strait, which connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman, and then the Arabian Sea.

Conservatives have called on the Liberals to give Canadians some relief at the pumps by suspending federal taxes on gas and diesel for the rest of the year.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said last week lifting the fuel excise tax, clean fuel standard and GST surcharges from gas and diesel would save consumers about 25 cents a litre.

That cut, he said, would amount to savings of “about $20 a fill-up, and $1,200 for the average family of four between now and the end of the year.”

Poilievre said in a letter to Carney on Tuesday that rising oil prices have been a “massive windfall” for the government. He again called for the suspension of the federal fuel excise tax, the GST on gas and diesel and the permanent elimination of the clean fuel standard tax and industrial carbon tax.

“This would not only help drivers,” said Poilievre. “Lower diesel prices would reduce the cost of shipping food, homebuilding materials and other essential goods across the country, lowering costs throughout the economy.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 7, 2026.

— With files from Sarah Ritchie and David Baxter

Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press