Fractional Distillation costs for purifying the oil in reality have not gone up significantly by any means. Refineries on the other hand that are performing these processes are just cashing in on the windfall. That is the real issue here. Look at Saudi Arabia for example where the price is still the same, and as Russia possessed a number of these refineries that would have kept the prices stable, that is now the real issue. The problem in Canada is that Provinces like Alberta did not invest in the refineries when they were making the big bucks. All they did was to hand the CEOs and top management of those oil companies involved with the extraction of these bitumen, some big bonuses. The dirty bitumen was transported for refining in the USA and shipped to other countries.
Harper was gifted a handy surplus and then turned it into a deficit. He was no real envy whatsoever, as all he did was to sing out of tune on his piano. Canada was respected on the world scene but no longer after Harper lost that UN status to countries like Portugal etc even though he spent big dollars ferrying diplomats around the world. What has Harper done to improve the lives of Canadians who had fallen by the wayside? All he did was to look after the richest Canadians and big Corporations. The Federal Liberals did a great job during this Covid Pandemic. Harper boasted about creating great number of jobs during his best year. Yet under Trudeau prior to the Pandemic he exceeded that figure in a single month. Yet he did not boast about it like Harper did!!