$4 a gallon gas? I wish

The price of gasoline in the U.S. is now hovering around US$4.00 per gallon, and pundits and politicians are screaming for the government to do something about it. Release crude oil from the Strategic Oil Reserve! Lower federal taxes! ANYTHING to ease the consumer pain of expensive gas. Nothing like this ever happens in Canada; we quietly put up with similar prices that we consider "normal", and no one utters a peep except Liberal MP Dan McTeague who pops up with tiresome regularity denouncing "speculators".

Four dollar a gallon gas in Canada? I wish. I filled my tank up today with regular gasoline at a price of CAN$1.179/liter. At 3.785 liter to the U.S. liquid gallon, and at today's Bank of Canada exchange rate of US$1.03/CAN$, that works out to US$4.59 per U.S. gallon. $4.59! There would be civil unrest in Los Angeles at those prices.

Even at prices that Canadians would consider reasonable, say CAN$1.02/liter, the equivalent American price would be - get this - US$4.00/gallon.

The difference between Canadian and US gas prices is of course taxation. Gas is taxed at exhorbitantly high rates north of the border, but Canadians don't seem to mind. In typical Canuck fashion, we meekly accept that it is our patriotic duty to pay higher taxes.

So I'm planning to take my vacation road trip to the U.S. this summer. No matter what the price of gas is down there, it will be a bargain compared to driving around Canada.