Let’s talk about the carbon tax — more specifically, the industrial carbon price, which still exists.

Last year, Prime Minister Mark Carney reduced the consumer portion of the carbon tax to zero. That decision may have left many Canadians with the impression that carbon pricing had disappeared entirely. It has not.

CHARLEBOIS: The inconvenient truth about the carbon tax and food prices Back to video

The industrial carbon price remains in place, and another increase is scheduled for April 1, when the price will rise from $95 per tonne to $110 per tonne.

At a time when global energy markets are once again facing geopolitical uncertainty, this increase risks amplifying the pressures already building within Canada’s food supply chain. With tensions rising in the Middle East and the possibility of disruptions to oil flows, higher fuel costs appear increasingly likely unless the current conflict de-escalates quickly. Anyone familiar with the region understands that predicting stability there is rarely straightforward.

We have seen how quickly energy shocks can ripple through food systems before.

At the start of Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Canada’s carbon price stood at $40 per tonne. For a truck hauling food between Toronto and Montreal once a week, the additional carbon-tax burden amounted to roughly $2,000 per year.

Price will reach $110 per tonne

On April 1,........

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