By Ketki Saxena
Investing.com -- Following Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's announcement of a three-year exemption only for home heating oil, conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is urging the Liberal party to extend the carbon price exemption to every home heating method.
Last week, the federal government revealed an increased carbon price rebate for rural Canadians and a total removal of the carbon price on home heating oil for three years.
The goal of the carbon price is to make the cost of fossil fuels more prohibitive, theoretically motivating the shift to greener energy alternatives. However, Trudeau acknowledged that transitioning to heat pumps hasn't been swift due to the associated time and costs.
These changes in carbon pricing come within the context of the Liberal party's declining popularity in Atlantic Canada due to rising living costs.
In a letter to Trudeau, Poilievre emphasized the need to expand exemption to include prevalent home heating sources in Western Canada, like natural gas.
Poilievre wrote, ""In pausing the tax on home heating oil until after the election, however, you plan to keep the tax on lower-emitting natural gas heat for which bills will be jumping even further in mere weeks as it gets colder".
"That is why common sense Conservatives are offering our full co-operation to pass an emergency bill tomorrow to axe the carbon tax on all forms of heat before winter heat bills hit Canadians next month."