B.C. ends its carbon tax on consumers after marathon debate in legislature

Metro Vancouver drivers are waking up to cheaper gas prices after the province axed the consumer carbon tax.

British Columbia drivers are looking at the gas pumps for a sign of tax relief after the early-morning approval of legislation ending the carbon tax after 17 years.

The NDP government fast-tracked the bill in an effort to kill off the tax in time to coincide with the demise of the federal version of the tax on April 1, but it was around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday before it finally passed third reading in the legislature.

Premier David Eby had said Monday that he expected gas prices to fall by about 17 cents a litre as the impact of the tax’s repeal kicked in, but many gas stations were showing smaller drops.

The GasBuddy price-tracking website suggests the lowest price in Metro Vancouver was about $1.81 at 4 p.m. on Monday, while at midday Tuesday it was just over $1.66, a price recorded at a station in the Township of Langley.

Eby says the province’s utilities commission has the authority to uncover price gouging and B.C. residents expect the price difference to show up at the pumps.

The BC Utilities Commission issued a statement saying it will monitor the market to determine whether gas companies are passing on savings to costumers.

The final vote to end the tax came about 15 hours after Finance Minister Brenda Bailey proposed the bill to the legislature.

Speaker Raj Chouhan noted the marathon debate when sitting resumed at 10 a.m. Tuesday, suggesting that coffee be served to legislators instead of water.

“If you want to sleep through question period you are most welcome,” Chouhan said to laughter from MLAs.

The vote marked the end of a tax that had been in place since 2008, when B.C. became the first jurisdiction in North America to adopt a broad-based carbon levy.

Eby said Monday that it played an important role for many years, but it became a “toxic” issue as a result of campaigns by the B.C. and federal Conservative parties.

The bill passed its third and final reading without the need for a formal vote, though the two BC Green MLAs had voted against it upon the second reading.

This report by Brenna Owen, The Canadian Press, was first published April 1, 2025.