Guilbeault quits Carney’s cabinet over energy deal with Alberta

Liberal MP Steven Guilbeault has quit cabinet over the federal government signing Thursday’s memorandum of understanding with Alberta, which jointly agrees on a path forward for a new bitumen pipeline to the B.C. coast.

“I chose to enter politics to champion the fight against climate change and the protection of the environment,” Guilbeault wrote in a lengthy statement on social media.

The Quebec MP had been serving as official languages minister, the minister of Canadian identity and culture — and Prime Minister Mark Carney's Quebec lieutenant.

Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith signed the agreement earlier Thursday that lays out how Ottawa will facilitate the construction of a pipeline that will carry a million barrels of oil a day from Alberta's oil patch to an export terminal on the Pacific coast, where that product will be shipped mostly to Asian markets.

“I remain one of those for whom environmental issues must remain front and center. That’s why I strongly oppose the memorandum of understanding between the federal government and the government of Alberta,” Guilbeault said. 

Guilbeault will stay on as a Liberal MP, the statement said. He also thanked Carney for the opportunity to sit in cabinet.

Carney called Thursday’s deal "an example of co-operative federalism; we’re agreeing in partnership and in a spirit of trust,” after signing the document and meeting with unionized skilled trade workers in Calgary.

Guilbeault said in his statement that he shares Carney’s concerns about ensuring “all regions feel they have a voice,” especially in the context of a shifting economic relationship with the U.S. But he listed several environmental concerns with Thursday’s agreement.

As part of the agreement, Ottawa will suspend the proposed federal oil and gas emissions cap and remove Alberta's requirements under the Clean Electricity Regulations — both of which were introduced while Guilbeault was environment minister.

Carney had previously walked back other Trudeau-era environment policies, most notably suspending the consumer carbon tax on his first day as prime minister.

Guilbeault referenced several of these policies in his statement on Thursday.

“Over the past few months, several elements of the climate action plan I worked on as minister of the environment have been, or are about to be, dismantled... In my view, these measure remain essential to our climate action plan,” he wrote.

“When I entered politics, it was because I had a deep conviction that I could make a difference in fighting climate change and protecting our environment. My commitment to leaving a better world for the future of our children and our planet remains unchanged.”

Ottawa and Alberta committed to increasing the industrial carbon price in the province — moving it from $95 a tonne now to a minimum of $130 a tonne as part of Thursday’s deal. The federal government had previously demanded that price rise to $170 a tonne by 2030.