This was Doug Ford's gas price promise during his 2018 election campaign

TORONTO -

Shortly after being elected in 2018, Doug Ford promised he would make the price at the pumps a top priority for his government.

"I told the people that we're reducing gas tax by 10 cents a litre," Ford said in June 2018. 

Shortly after being, elected the Ford government cancelled the cap-and-trade system in Ontario, which was designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

That had an immediate effect on the price of gasoline, cutting it down by 4.3 cents per litre.

However, it also triggered the federal backstop on the price of carbon, which led to a carbon tax being imposed on the province of Ontario. It drove up the price of fuel by 4.4 cents per litre, effectively erasing Ford's fuel price cut.

A man prepares to fill his car's gas tank in Toronto. (Michelle Siu / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

More than three years after that promise, little has changed. 

Gas prices are hitting record highs in parts of Ontario and they're showing no signs of slowing down. 

One expert believes that gas prices could hit as high as $1.50 cents per litre in the Toronto area in the coming weeks. 

It comes at a time when many families are already struggling with the higher cost of living and dealing with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In Ontario, each time a driver fills up their gas tank, both the federal and provincial governments get their cut. 

Ten cents per litre goes to the federal excise tax, 8.8 cents per litre goes to the federal carbon tax, 14.7 cents per litre goes to the Ontario fuel tax and 15.8 cents per litre goes to the HST. 

On Thursday, Ontario's Environment Minister David Piccini was asked what the government plans to do about gas prices in the province. 

"As a government, we're always open to working with the federal government and exploring options to reduce prices in the province of Ontario," Piccini said. 

But the government wouldn't say what those options are, leaving questions about whether Ford's gas price promise will come true.

"It looks like Doug Ford's ten-cent reduction in the price of gas was really just an election ploy and they have no intention of protecting consumers," NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said Thursday.

Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath speaks during a press conference at Queen's Park in Toronto on Monday, Dec. 17, 2018. Horwath is promising that if her party wins Ontario's next election, the province will commit to reducing greenhouse gas emissions at standards in line with international targets. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

Meanwhile, Green Party leader Mike Schreiner says Ontarians should forget about fuel and opt for other options instead. 

"Let's make electric vehicles affordable for people so they’re not gouged at the pumps," he said. 

Experts say the reason for the surge in prices recently is due to increased demand and undersupply of oil globally.