Rising oil prices due to conflict in the Iran are a double-edged sword for Canada. On one hand, Canada is a massive net oil exporter; meaning royalties flow, government coffers fill and the dollar rises.

On the other hand, ordinary Canadians pay more for everything that runs on fuel, which is most things. Franco Terrazzano, federal director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, joined Thursday's edition of The Ezra Levant Show to discuss what Alberta is doing about it — and what Ottawa isn't doing.

Starting on October 1, Alberta is suspending its 13-cent-per-litre fuel tax on both gasoline and diesel until December 31. 

"The fastest, the simplest, the easiest way for a politician or a government to help make your life a little bit more affordable is just for them not to take so much money in the first place," Terrazzano said.

For Alberta families with a couple of vehicles, that's hundreds of dollars saved over the period. A regular fill-up on a private vehicle saves around $10. But it's the diesel numbers that Ezra flagged as particularly significant: farmers running combines up and down fields all day, long-haul truckers with those large cylindrical tanks — the savings per fill-up are substantial, and the knock-on effects run through the entire economy.

"Not only are Albertans going to save some money at the pumps, but because it applies to diesel, these types of fuel taxes make everything trucked to store shelves more expensive as well," the CTF federal director said.

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Ezra put it plainly: two things are necessary for a successful civilization. Affordable, plentiful food. Affordable, plentiful fuel. "They are absolutely related," he said. "It's like you've got a vice on your head. This just makes it a little looser."

Then there's what's happening in Ottawa.

This week, Prime Minister Mark Carney told the House of Commons that his industrial carbon tax has "zero impact on grocery prices." Terrazzano was blunt: "He's essentially running the same playbook as Trudeau. People didn't believe Trudeau when he claimed his carbon tax didn't make life more expensive, and people aren't going to buy the carbon tax spin coming out from Carney on this one either."

The CTF's own numbers tell a different story — the impact of clean fuel regulations on a single bushel of canola in Battle River–Crowfoot is over a dollar.

Terrazzano was clear that fuel tax relief isn't a partisan issue. The CTF said the same thing when the Carney government temporarily suspended the federal gas tax, and they're pushing Ottawa to make that relief permanent, and to ensure its paid for by cutting spending, not by ballooning the debt.

"Gas tax relief is good," he said. "We're very happy that the Alberta government is providing some."

To follow the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, visit Taxpayer.com.