Liberals rebranding carbon tax rebate to ensure Canadians know where the money comes from

The Liberal government is rebranding its carbon tax rebate in an effort to make it clear to Canadians where the funds are coming from.

Previously called the «Climate Action Incentive Payment,» the government announced Wednesday that it will now be called the «Canada Carbon Rebate.»

Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault said Wednesday said he thinks the rebranding will make it easier for Canadians to identify the rebate when it is deposited into their accounts.

«The previous name was a bit difficult to understand and even for many people to remember. So this will likely make it easier,» he told reporters outside the House of Commons.

The quarterly rebate payments go out to every tax-filing adult household in the eight provinces where the federal carbon tax applies: Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador.

The Canada Revenue Agency says 81 per cent of Canadians get their rebate through direct deposit, while cheques are mailed to the other 19 per cent.

But about a quarter of Canadians eligible for rebates don't believe they actually receive them, according to an Angus Reid poll released in November.

That may have been due to variations in how banks have labelled the payments. In the past, rebates have been deposited in bank accounts under nondescript names like «CANADA FED» or «DN CANADA FED/FED» or «EFT Deposit from CANADA.»

«We're working with financial institutions to make sure that it's labelled properly so people actually know what it is. In many cases, it was very difficult for people to actually see they were getting it,» Guilbeault said.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre — whose party has a comfortable polling lead on the governing Liberals