OTTAWA -- Canadians who pay the federal carbon price got a midsummer money drop today with the first half of their annual "climate action incentive" payment deposited into their bank accounts.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is promoting the payments in various whistle stops in the Ottawa area today, calling them a way to "bring Canadians along" in the fight against climate change without causing them financial hardship.
People who filed their 2021 tax returns in Ontario, Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan received the deposits Friday, to cover half the amount they can expect to receive for the 2022-23 fiscal year.
The rest will come in quarterly payments in mid-September and mid-January.
It is the first time the carbon price cash is being sent quarterly instead of in a single lump sum hidden in tax rebates as the federal government seeks to make the payments more visible.
The success of that effort may be limited, however, since many Canadians saw the deposit unclearly labelled in their online accounts, including as "federal payment," "Canada Fed" and "EFT Credit Canada."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 15, 2022.
