"Lipstick on a pig": Canadians call out carbon tax rebate name rebrand

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The federal government’s decision to rebrand the carbon tax rebate to the “Canada Carbon Rebate” has many Canadians wondering why there needed to be a name change in the first place.

In an announcement yesterday, the feds announced the new rebate amounts for the coming year.

They also acknowledged that the name of the program — which was previously known as the Climate Action Incentive Payment — was updated to “clarify its function and make its meaning and relationship to the carbon pricing system more intuitive for Canadians.”

Some Canadians took to social media to question the decision.

“It’s still a tax. No matter what you call it,” said one X user.

Trudeau government rebrands carbon tax incentive payment as 'Canada Carbon Rebate

So is income tax now income rebate?

It’s still a tax. No matter what you call it. #cdnpoli

— Channeling my inner Beth (@Aporetic85) February 14, 2024

“Rebrand it all you want, Canadians are fully aware of the scam that is the carbon tax,” said another commenter.

Rebrand it all you want, Canadians are fully aware of the scam that is the carbon tax.

— TrueNorthMAFIA (@TruNrthBillsMaf) February 14, 2024

“Trying to play word games with Canadians is an insult to our intelligence!”

Carbon Rebate is still a Carbon Tax. Canadians are being taxed in order to then give % of Canadians a rebate.
Trying to play word games with Canadians is an insult to our intelligence!

— Cathy Stone. (@CathySt35873400) February 14, 2024

Others used the term “lipstick on a pig” to describe the rebrand.

Lipstick on a pig

— laura (@lldc11) February 14, 2024

New lipstick has been put on the pig;

Carbon tax is now called Canada Carbon Rebate.

What should Income Tax be rebranded to?

— Kirk Lubimov (@KirkLubimov) February 14, 2024

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) also released a statement, criticizing the federal government for the name rebrand, instead of getting rid of the tax altogether.

“Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s carbon tax rebrand is just lipstick on a pig,” said Franco Terrazzano, CTF’s federal director, in a statement. “Canadians need tax relief, not a snappy new slogan that won’t do anything to make life more affordable.”

Terrazzano also noted this year’s carbon tax hike will see Canadians paying more for fuel.

“Trudeau’s real problem is that Canadians know his carbon tax is making life more expensive,” Terrazzano said. “Instead of a rebrand, Trudeau should scrap the carbon tax to provide real relief.”

Since 2019, every jurisdiction in the country has priced its carbon pollution.

“Carbon pricing is about recognizing the cost of pollution and accounting for those costs in our daily decisions,” noted the federal government in a statement.

Each province or territory can design its own pricing system or choose the federal government’s system, which sets minimum national stringency standards for the country.

The Canada Carbon Rebate returns fuel charge proceeds to Canadians in provinces that have opted for the federal plan entirely or in part.

BC, the Northwest Territories, and Quebec have their own territorial and provincial systems but continue to meet the federal benchmark stringency requirements.

Government of Canada

Starting this April, a family of four will receive Canada Carbon Rebates of:

$1,800 in Alberta ($450 quarterly);
$1,200 in Manitoba ($300 quarterly);
$1,120 in Ontario ($280 quarterly);
$1,504 in Saskatchewan ($376 quarterly);
$760 in New Brunswick ($190 quarterly);
$824 in Nova Scotia ($206 quarterly);
$880 in Prince Edward Island ($220 quarterly); and,
$1,192 in Newfoundland and Labrador ($298 quarterly).

The federal government noted that this year’s rebate amounts reflect the temporary pause of the fuel charge on deliveries of home heating oil that came into effect on November 9, 2023.

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