Carbon pollution pricing systems across Canada

Carbon pricing is about recognizing the cost of pollution and accounting for those costs in daily decisions. Putting a price on carbon pollution is widely recognized as the most efficient means to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while also driving innovation. Since 2019, every jurisdiction in Canada has had a price on carbon pollution. Canada’s approach is flexible: any province or territory can design its own pricing system tailored to local needs, or can choose the federal pricing system. The federal government sets minimum national stringency standards (the federal ‘benchmark’), that all systems must meet to ensure they are comparable and effective in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. If a province or territory decides not to price pollution, or proposes a system that does not meet these standards, the federal system is put in place. This ensures consistency and fairness for all Canadians. The federal government published strengthened standards in August 2021 for the 2023 to 2030 period.

The federal pricing system has two parts: a regulatory charge on fossil fuels like gasoline and natural gas, known as the fuel charge, and a performance-based system for industries, known as the Output-Based Pricing System.

The federal fuel charge currently (Spring 2023) applies in Ontario, Manitoba, Yukon, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Nunavut. The federal Output-Based Pricing System currently applies in Manitoba, Prince Edward Island, Yukon, Nunavut, and partially in Saskatchewan.

Carbon pollution pricing systems in Quebec, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, the Northwest Territories, British Columbia and New Brunswick currently continue to meet the federal benchmark stringency requirements.

Provincial systems in place in Prince Edward Island, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario meet the federal benchmark stringency requirements for the emission sources they cover. The federal backstop applies in these provinces to emission sources not covered by the provincial systems.

In Prince Edward Island, the federal OBPS applies alongside the provincial fuel charge. In Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario, as of January 1, 2022, provincial output-based performance standards systems apply alongside the federal fuel charge. For further information, please contact ptintegrationpt@ec.gc.ca.

The Government of Canada made the Order Amending Part 2 of Schedule 1 to the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act, removing New Brunswick from Part 2 of Schedule 1 as of January 1, 2021 and Ontario as of January 1, 2022. A Notice of Intent was published on December 23, 2022, indicating the Government of Canada’s intent to remove Saskatchewan from Part 2 of Schedule 1 to the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act. More information on this is available on the main page of the Output-Based Pricing System.

The provinces and territories on the map of Canada are one of three colours depending on whether the federal backstop applies in full, in part or not at all.

Proceeds from the federal carbon pricing system remain in the jurisdiction where they were collected. Provinces and territories that requested the federal system receive these proceeds directly and can use them as they see fit. In other jurisdictions, the federal government delivers all proceeds to individuals, families, and businesses through payments and climate action programs. This helps make carbon pricing affordable, and enables households to make investments to increase energy efficiency and further reduce emissions. Returning proceeds to households works because the amounts received by households do not depend on their energy consumption, so households are still rewarded for using less energy. Our plan also includes targeted support to recognize the unique circumstances of the territories and Indigenous Peoples, such as high costs of living and energy, challenges with food security, and emerging economies.

Going forward, the federal carbon price will continue to be revenue neutral, and the Government of Canada remains committed to ensuring that the federal price on pollution remains affordable, and to helping households to make investments to increase energy efficiency and further reduce emissions. On November 22, 2022, the Government of Canada announced changes to the application of the federal carbon pollution pricing system for 2023 to 2030 based on the updated benchmark criteria. This page will be updated to reflect these changes once they have taken effect.

Related links

• The Government of Canada strengthens pollution pricing across the country
• Additional information on the federal carbon pollution pricing benchmark
• Update to the Pan-Canadian Approach to Carbon Pollution Pricing 2023-2030 (August, 2021)
• Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act: Annual report for 2021
• Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act: Annual report for 2020
• Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act: Annual report for 2019
• Pan-Canadian Approach to Pricing Carbon Pollution: Interim Report (2020)
• 2020 Expert Assessment of Carbon Pricing Systems
• Output-Based Pricing System