British Columbia does not want to increase the price of the carbon tax on April 1, and has unsuccessfully researched ways to try and get out of the change, says the province’s finance minister.

Brenda Bailey said with the province’s commitment to end the consumer carbon tax alongside Ottawa, the B.C. government does not want to go forward with a scheduled 19 per cent increase, to $95 per tonne, in April.

“We don’t want this increase,” she said in an interview Monday. “The premier doesn’t want this increase. But unfortunately we’re compelled to by the legislation.”

When asked if B.C. tried to find a way around the federal requirement to raise the tax, Bailey said, “we really looked at that” but she doesn't believe it’s possible until Ottawa repeals its federal consumer carbon tax legislation.

The April 1 increase will add more than three cents a litre to the price of gas at the pump, to almost 21 cents per litre total.

It’s unclear if Ottawa will act to repeal the consumer carbon tax before the April 1 increase.

Incoming prime minister Mark Carney, who won the federal Liberal leadership on Sunday, reiterated his pledge to make the move, but offered no timeline.

“My government will immediately eliminate the divisive consumer carbon........

© BIV