Premier R.J. Simpson wants the NWT to get an exemption on paying the carbon tax. Conservative MP Bob Zimmer also thinks so.

Zimmer, the Shadow Minister for 快盈v3 Affairs and Arctic Sovereignty, tried to have an emergency debate in the House of Commons to talk about it on Monday in a request to Speaker Greg Fergus, but it didn鈥檛 happen.

In an interview with 快盈v3, Zimmer said the clock ran out.

鈥淚t was a procedural situation,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he way it goes, you make a request and you get one minute to make your case, but I wasn鈥檛 able to because time ran out.鈥�

In an earlier interview with 快盈v3, Simpson said the carbon tax was 鈥渦nfair to the North鈥�.

鈥淭he rest of Canada was allowed to build its infrastructure without a carbon tax and we didn鈥檛 have that benefit, but now we鈥檙e expected to do so under a different set of rules,鈥� he said on Dec. 7.

The carbon tax is designed to wean people off of fossil fuels, but several MLAs in the 19th Legislative Assembly, most notably former Nunakput MLA Jackie Jacobson, said the tax is doing more harm than good. More than one MLA in the previous assembly stated that the NWT just doesn鈥檛 have enough green energy for residents to make the transition.

鈥淭he NWT wanted to do it their own way and control the rebate (on home heating fuel) residents got, but the federal government basically said they had to cut it or take on our plan,鈥� said Zimmer. 鈥淥ther parts of the country have been exempted, but the North can鈥檛 get one and that鈥檚 not fair. The NWT wanted to be in charge and they鈥檝e been told 鈥楽orry, no more rebate for you鈥�.鈥�

One of the ideas that has been thrown around by the federal government as a way to help is the use of heat pumps, which are powered by electricity.

Zimmer said that鈥檚 a great idea in theory, but they鈥檙e mostly untested in the North.

鈥淎ll they鈥檝e done is promise heat pumps, but the price to buy and install those is horrendous,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey also don鈥檛 work in the dead cold of winter.鈥�

Zimmer is confident, though, that more public pressure will see things change.

鈥淛ackie and I have been fighting for an exemption and it needs to happen,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he prime minister exempted other parts of the country, but he鈥檚 saying there will be no more exemptions. The tax is punitive and we need to keep telling him that.鈥�

A spokesperson for NWT MP Michael McLeod said he wouldn鈥檛 be able to make comment for this story as of press time.