Toronto - Today, Greg Rickford, Minister of Energy, Northern Development and Mines, issued the following statement in response to the Ontario Energy Board's Decision on Enbridge's application to include the federal carbon tax in natural gas rates:
"We have been clear that we are committed to lowering energy costs and providing transparency for low-income families, seniors and small businesses. Our government has always been opposed to the federal carbon tax cash grab because it raises the prices of natural gas and gasoline.
We now know that the Ontario Energy Board has approved Enbridge's application for a rate increase of approximately $86 to $94 a year for customers. This is just one more example of how the federal government's carbon tax is making life more unaffordable for families and businesses and the people of Ontario deserve to know the full truth about how the federal carbon tax will make their lives more unaffordable.
We cancelled the Liberals' cap-and-trade carbon scheme that made life more expensive for the people of Ontario, and we are putting more money back in the pockets of families who are struggling to make ends meet. Yet every month Ontarians will pay the costs incurred under the federal carbon tax.
Let me be perfectly clear, the federal carbon tax is a tax on everything and will make life even more unaffordable for families and businesses in Ontario. That's why our government will continue to use every tool at our disposal to hold the federal government accountable to the people of Ontario, and we will continue to promote affordability and transparency for Ontario energy customers."