• Minister Pardy Introduces Legislation to Reduce Gas Tax to Zero

  Source: Newfoundland & Labrador - Government Releases
  Date: 2026-10-29 18:55:16.0
  Tags: [Newfoundland and Labrador, Taxation, Finance, Affordability, Energy]

  On October 29, 2026, Newfoundland and Labrador Minister of Finance Craig Pardy introduced legislation to reduce the provincial tax on gasoline and diesel to 0 cents per litre, down from 7.5 cents and 9.5 cents respectively. Factoring in the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST), drivers will save 8.625 cents per litre on gasoline and 10.925 cents per litre on diesel amidst record high fuel prices. The legislative amendments also establish a protective mechanism to keep provincial fuel taxes at zero for as long as oil prices remain above a specified threshold. This measure is part of the Provincial Government's broader Budget 2026 initiative, which has invested over $275 million in cost-of-living relief.

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• Minister Pardy Introduces Legislation to Reduce Gas Tax to Zero

  Source: Newfoundland & Labrador - Government Releases
  Date: 2026-10-29 18:55:16.0
  Tags: [Newfoundland and Labrador, Taxation, Affordability, Finance, Energy]

  The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, through Minister of Finance Craig Pardy, introduced legislation to reduce the provincial tax on gasoline and diesel to 0 cents per litre. This policy removes the existing provincial taxes of 7.5 cents per litre for gasoline and 9.5 cents per litre for diesel, resulting in total savings at the pump—including Harmonized Sales Tax (HST)—of 8.625 cents per litre for gasoline vehicles and 10.925 cents per litre for diesel vehicles. Furthermore, the legislative amendments establish a safeguard mechanism to maintain the provincial fuel tax at zero as long as oil prices stay above a specified threshold, forming part of the provincial government's broader $275 million cost-of-living relief initiative.

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• S-253 (45-1) - Making Child Care More Affordable for Canadian Families Act

  Source: Parliament of Canada (LEGISinfo)
  Date: 2026-10-29 00:00:00.0
  Tags: [National, Taxation, Affordability, Social Services, Governance]

  Bill S-253, titled the Making Child Care More Affordable for Canadian Families Act, was introduced and read for the first time in the Senate on October 29, 2026. The Senate Public Bill proposes to amend the Income Tax Act specifically regarding the child care expense deduction indexation. The legislation is currently at the second reading stage in the Senate during the 1st session of the 45th Parliament.

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• Provincial Government Cutting Gas Tax on Gasoline and Diesel to Zero Beginning December 1

  Source: Newfoundland & Labrador - Government Releases
  Date: 2026-10-26 14:15:53.0
  Tags: [Newfoundland and Labrador, Taxation, Affordability, Energy, Finance]

  The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, through Minister of Finance Craig Pardy, announced that the provincial gas tax on gasoline and diesel will be reduced to zero cents per litre from December 1, 2026, to March 31, 2027. The Provincial Government will introduce legislative amendments in the House of Assembly to enact these changes and establish a permanent mechanism to keep the provincial fuel tax at zero whenever fuel prices exceed a specified threshold. This measure represents $25 million in affordability relief, contributing to a broader $79 million cost-of-living package that also includes the accelerated Churchill Falls Electricity Rebate and a doubled Home Heating Supplement.

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• Premier Wakeham Announces $54 Million in Additional Affordability Relief

  Source: Newfoundland & Labrador - Government Releases
  Date: 2026-10-22 12:50:01.0
  Tags: [Newfoundland and Labrador, Affordability, Energy, Taxation, Finance]

  Premier Tony Wakeham and Minister of Finance Craig Pardy announced a $54 million affordability package to assist residents of Newfoundland and Labrador with winter energy costs. The initiative accelerates the implementation of the Churchill Falls Electricity Rebate starting in January 2027, providing residential customers of Newfoundland Power and Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro a 15 per cent reduction (up to 2,000 kilowatt-hours per month) estimated at $351 annually, costing $45 million for the remainder of the 2026-27 fiscal year. Additionally, the maximum Home Heating Supplement for households relying on furnace or stove oil is doubled from $500 to $1,000 for the 2026 program, providing roughly $9 million in relief to approximately 9,000 current applicants.

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• N.W.T. finance minister says no emergency relief from fuel price shock, but pushes Ottawa for support

  Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
  Date: 2026-10-21 10:00:00.0
  Tags: [National, Finance, Energy, Taxation, Affordability]

  Northwest Territories Finance Minister Caroline Wawzonek rejected calls from MLAs to slash the territorial gas and diesel tax—which generates an estimated $15 million annually—or provide immediate emergency heating fuel subsidies ahead of winter. Testifying before the federal standing committee on Indigenous and Northern Affairs, Wawzonek criticized federal funding programs like the $2-billion heat pump initiative as unsuitable for northern climates and pressed Ottawa for customized support to address energy and affordability challenges where transport and heating costs are double the national average. She noted the territorial government already provides over $18 million in direct annual energy subsidies and warned that low water levels threatening the hydro system will force the territory to rely more heavily on costly diesel generation.

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• Yellowknife residents worry what this winter will do to their power bills

  Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
  Date: 2026-10-15 15:30:59.0
  Tags: [National, Energy, Affordability, Taxation]

  In Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, about 30 residents attended a town hall hosted by MLAs Kieron Testart and Robert Hawkins to discuss mounting home heating and electricity costs driven by global oil price spikes. Residents and local officials discussed potential long-term solutions such as small modular reactors—following a recent intergovernmental information-sharing agreement signed by the Northwest Territories, Alberta, and Saskatchewan—as well as immediate relief measures. Attendees and MLA Kieron Testart called for territorial fuel tax reductions and direct consumer subsidies, such as a $100 monthly power bill credit, to alleviate affordability pressures during the winter months.

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• BC NDP promises to freeze car insurance rates for 3 years if elected

  Source: Global News Politics
  Date: 2026-10-08 19:45:05.0
  Tags: [British Columbia, Affordability, Transportation, Governance, Taxation]

  BC NDP Leader David Eby announced a campaign promise to freeze basic car insurance rates through the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC) for three years if re-elected. The policy announcement comes amid political sparring over the future of ICBC's no-fault Enhanced Care model, which was introduced by the BC NDP in 2021. Meanwhile, the BC Conservatives proposed a hybrid insurance model to restore legal rights for accident victims alongside a separate tax cut promising residents no income tax on their first $32,000 in earnings.

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• With city's next four-year plan less than a month away, Edmonton's budget deliberation process unveiled

  Source: Alberta - Edmonton Journal (Legislature & Capital)
  Date: 2026-10-06 20:29:58.0
  Tags: [Municipal, Alberta, Finance, Taxation, Governance, Affordability]

  The City of Edmonton unveiled its upcoming four-year budget deliberation process, which will encompass five distinct budgets: the capital, operating, utility services operating and capital, office of the city auditor, and climate budgets. Draft budgets are scheduled for publication on November 2, followed by a public hearing beginning on November 23 that will remain open for up to 10 days until December 18 or budget approval. In an 8-5 vote, City Council approved raising the city's franchise fee to 19.4 per cent to match Calgary's rate, aiming to offset property tax pressures on residents and businesses while the city works to rebuild its financial stabilization reserve back to the $150-million baseline.

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• Alberta extends $100 rebate period as uptake lags below 50 per cent

  Source: Alberta - Edmonton Journal (Legislature & Capital)
  Date: 2026-09-30 17:56:13.0
  Tags: [Alberta, Affordability, Energy, Taxation]

  The Government of Alberta has extended the application deadline for its $100 energy rebate program by one month from September 30 to October 31, 2026. Administered under Finance Minister Jason Nixon, the program has seen uptake from 1.45 million out of nearly 3.4 million eligible Albertans, representing roughly 43 percent of the eligible population. The rebate was initially introduced on July 1, 2026, to replace the province's former fuel-tax relief program, which the government subsequently moved to reinstate by removing the entire 13-cent-per-litre provincial fuel tax starting October 1, 2026.

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• Poilievre urges tax cuts to make diesel fuel more affordable

  Source: CBC Politics
  Date: 2026-09-27 17:08:51.0
  Tags: [National, Taxation, Energy, Affordability]

  Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has proposed a federal policy to eliminate all taxes on diesel fuel until at least Canada Day by extending the fuel excise tax cut and removing the GST on diesel purchases. The plan also advocates for permanently scrapping the federal industrial carbon tax and the Clean Fuel Standard to eliminate production costs, encourage refinery investment, and address regional transportation bottlenecks that leave parts of Canada dependent on U.S. diesel imports.

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• Islanders will pay less at the pump starting Saturday as P.E.I. suspends provincial fuel tax

  Source: Prince Edward Island - Regional News
  Date: 2026-09-25 14:05:00.0
  Tags: [Prince Edward Island, Taxation, Affordability, Economy, Agriculture, Transportation]

  The Government of Prince Edward Island announced a four-month suspension of its provincial fuel tax on gasoline and diesel, effective from September 26, 2026, until January 31, 2027. The tax break eliminates the 8.47 cents per litre tax on gasoline and the 14.15 cents per litre tax on diesel, dropping both rates to zero to provide relief amid high global oil prices. Following the suspension, from February 1 to March 31, 2027, the tax will return at half its current rate (4.24 cents per litre for gasoline and 7.08 cents per litre for diesel) before being fully restored on April 1, 2027. The policy impacts provincial revenue previously budgeted at approximately $28.2 million in gasoline-tax collection for the 2026-2027 fiscal year, compounding existing concerns over P.E.I.'s projected $410 million deficit and growing debt.

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• Only 150 first-time homebuyer GST rebates approved as of June

  Source: CBC Politics
  Date: 2026-09-24 21:28:16.0
  Tags: [National, Housing, Taxation, Finance, Affordability]

  Federal data reveals that as of June, only 150 first-time homebuyer GST rebate applications out of 7,500 received have been approved by the federal government under its program eliminating the GST on newly built or substantially renovated homes worth up to $1 million. The data indicates that 620 applications were denied, 6,700 remain pending with an average processing time of 50 days, and a total of $3,577,000 has been paid out at an average of about $24,000 per rebate. Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne acknowledged the slow rollout, while Department of Finance officials attributed the initial delays to uncertainty surrounding the passage of Bill C-4, which received royal assent in March 2026.

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• C-38 (45-1) - Canadian Fuel Affordability Act

  Source: Parliament of Canada (LEGISinfo)
  Date: 2026-09-21 15:16:00.0
  Tags: [National, Taxation, Finance, Affordability]

  Bill C-38, titled the Canadian Fuel Affordability Act, was introduced and read for the first time in the House of Commons on September 21, 2026. Sponsored by the Minister of Finance and National Revenue, the bill proposes to amend the Excise Tax Act to extend the federal fuel excise tax relief. The legislation is currently at the second reading stage in the House of Commons during the 1st session of the 45th Parliament.

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• Strong and Steady: Saskatchewan Maintains Top Provincial Credit Rating

  Source: Saskatchewan - Government News
  Date: 2026-09-14 21:00:00.0
  Tags: [Saskatchewan, Finance, Taxation, Economy, Affordability]

  Moody's Investors Service, Morningstar DBRS, and S&P Global have affirmed Saskatchewan's top provincial credit ratings (Aa1, AA (low), and AA respectively) with stable outlooks, citing strong financial management and a manageable debt burden. Deputy Premier and Minister of Finance Jim Reiter noted that the province's economic strength supports the 2026-27 Budget, which implements the second year of a four-year provincial income tax reduction plan providing approximately $200 million in savings. Under this plan, a family of four pays no provincial income tax on their first $65,000 of income, representing the highest threshold in Canada. Furthermore, Saskatchewan projects real Gross Domestic Product growth to rank third-highest among provinces in 2026 and second-highest in 2027, alongside maintaining the second-lowest net-debt-to-GDP ratio in the country.

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• P.E.I. has some of Canada's highest fuel prices. Politicians are looking at making them cheaper

  Source: Prince Edward Island - Regional News
  Date: 2026-09-10 23:53:54.0
  Tags: [Prince Edward Island, Affordability, Taxation, Energy, Governance]

  A legislative committee on Prince Edward Island is reviewing the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission pricing framework and preparing recommendations for the fall sitting of the legislature to lower fuel prices. The committee is specifically researching three options: cutting the provincial fuel tax of 8.47 cents per litre for gasoline and 14.15 cents per litre for diesel (which would yield approximately $28 million in consumer savings), eliminating minimum fuel pricing to foster competition, and exploring the establishment of an island-based ethanol-blending facility.

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• Ottawa set to extend the pause on federal fuel excise tax: source

  Source: Global News Politics
  Date: 2026-09-02 13:20:19.0
  Tags: [National, Taxation, Economy, Affordability, Energy]

  Federal Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne is set to announce an extension of the pause on the federal excise tax on gasoline and diesel until at least next year, preventing the return of the tax originally scheduled for September 8, 2026. The initial suspension, which took effect in April, eliminated a federal excise tax of 10 cents per litre on gasoline and four cents per litre on diesel. The decision by the federal government to prolong the tax break comes in response to rising fuel prices driven by ongoing hostilities associated with the Iran war.

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• Liberals will extend gas and diesel tax holiday into 2027, sources say

  Source: CBC Politics
  Date: 2026-09-02 13:09:12.0
  Tags: [National, Taxation, Affordability, Economy, Finance]

  Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne announced an extension of the federal excise tax holiday on gasoline and diesel until early 2027. Originally introduced in April by Prime Minister Mark Carney as a temporary measure costing an estimated $2.4 billion to mitigate short-term oil price pressures from the U.S. conflict with Iran, the policy cuts the 10-cent federal excise tax per litre of gas and 4 cents per litre of diesel. The extension comes amid ongoing demands from provincial leaders like Ontario Premier Doug Ford and federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre for further tax relief.

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