I had assumed that the 50% off coupon for the Canadian and the Ocean you get with Privilege status was only good for a one leg on those trains. I just booked a round trip Vancouver-Toronto-Vancouver for next spring and they applied the 50% to both legs, which I was not expecting. The entire trip is less than $1900 USD.
Also in researching fares I was checking one way fares from both Toronto and Vancouver. The taxes if originating in Toronto are about twice as much than if you start in Vancouver. Further checking revealed that tax levels based on the origin apply to the whole booking, not the sum of the two one ways. So if you want to ride the Canadian and don't care which direction, you can save about $100 CAD ($200 CAD round trip) by starting in Vancouver.
Also in researching fares I was checking one way fares from both Toronto and Vancouver. The taxes if originating in Toronto are about twice as much than if you start in Vancouver. Further checking revealed that tax levels based on the origin apply to the whole booking, not the sum of the two one ways. So if you want to ride the Canadian and don't care which direction, you can save about $100 CAD ($200 CAD round trip) by starting in Vancouver.