Figuring out how much Canadians are paying for government climate change programs is difficult because the information is scattered across the three levels of government we have in Canada.

That said, a rough estimate of the cost for federal, provincial and territorial programs alone (excluding municipal governments) is $503 billion, or $12,062 per Canadian.

To arrive at this number, I’m using a statement by former federal environment minister Steven Guilbeault on April 14, 2023 that that year’s federal budget “representing the single biggest package of climate commitments in Canada’s history, will take total federal investments north of $200 billion” since the Liberals were elected in 2015.

This to fund 149 programs administered by 13 federal departments.

Provincial/territorial spending has been estimated at $303 billion for 364 programs, based on data from the Canadian Climate Institute and Navius........

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