There are two reasons why you pay more at the pump than in the U.S.
The first reason are taxes, your being taxed at the pump at a much higher rate than we are.
And the second reason is distribution. The U.S. has a vast netowork of pipelines spanning across the country. And I am not referring to the crude oil, natural gas and refined product trunk lines, I'm talking about the smaller sizes, which takes the refined oil virtually to almost every state, except two in the NorthEast.
Your dollar becoming par with the US dollar has little to do with anything.
EDIT: Or you can listen to DB's nonsensical rants.
Taxes are one of the problems, we are however taking steps to ensure all the oil (oilsands)from ft. mac will be upgraded to light sweet crude here in Aberta, we are building 7 new multibillion dollar upgraders Just outside the city capable of upgrading millions of bbl/day the refinerys which are also located on the cities outskirts will also get an upgrade to increase capacity. but for some strange(and stupid) reason while we have pipelines to the U.S., we don't have much going east, and eastern Canada has to rely on foriegn imports. so in the future the oil will be upgraded , refined, and distributed a lot more effieciently. this may slow prices at the pumps, but it won't stop the steady climb we have been seeing over the last few years.
The entire mideast oil supplies are in decline to the tune of 6 to 7% per year, and when we drill for conventional oil, we drill 9 dry holes for one we find with oil in it, and that one is not even a stellar producer.
The only increasing productions in the world are in oilsands or oilsand like(heavy crude/bitumin) deposits like the ones in Northern Alberta,Saskatchewan, Venuesuela, Russia and a few other places. predictions are that gas prices will surge to 1.50 a litre/ 6.00 a gallon this summer and back off to around 1.25ltr/5.00gal where they will stay until the oil companies figure out a way to increase them again.
Things are not going to get any better, Oil prices will only increase over time while conventional sources dry up. At present the world needs 85 million barrels a day to keep humming along, in 2030 the world will require 118 million barrels/day- I wonder where the're going to get that extra 34 mil/bbl when the mideasts production is declining ?
So if you think prices are high now wait for a few years and you'll be telling your grandkids " I remember when gas was just 5.00 a gallon"
Lester