Steven Guilbeault speaks to reporters ahead of a Liberal Caucus party meeting in Ottawa in early October.Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press
Career environmentalist Steven Guilbeault resigned from the Liberal cabinet Thursday afternoon, citing the Carney government’s new energy accord with Alberta and its overall track record on climate.
Mr. Guilbeault spent four years as environment minister under former Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, after first being elected in 2019.
Prior to entering politics, he’d founded a major Quebec environmental organization, and also worked for Greenpeace, and served as an adviser to the Quebec government multiple times on climate-change policy.
Though he was moved to the heritage portfolio by Prime Minister Mark Carney this spring, he continued to be seen as the personification of the Liberals’ ambitions on combatting climate change.
He had endorsed Mr. Carney for Liberal leadership, and even after he was shuffled to a new portfolio, continued to advocate for strong climate policy – including contradicting Mr. Carney earlier in the year on the need for new pipelines.
In a three-page letter circulated late Thursday, Mr. Guilbeault said much of the policy he worked on is, or is about to be, dismantled, and he also offered a detailed critique of the new energy accord.
The memorandum of understanding, among other things, set in motion a plan for a new oil pipeline from Alberta to B.C.’s north coast, and said if a pipeline is built, Ottawa will lift the existing oil tanker ban so the bitumen can ship to Asia.
It also exempts Alberta from clean-electricity regulations while work is being done to strengthen industrial carbon pricing, which in turn would help implement a massive carbon capture and storage project known as Pathways.
Mr. Guilbeault called that a serious mistake.
He also said B.C. and First Nations ought to have been consulted before the pipeline plan was drawn up. It will have major environmental effects, he said, and lifting the tanker ban comes with a significant risk of oil spills.
Mr. Guilbeault ended the letter by saying he will continue to represent the riding of Laurier-Saint-Marie in Montreal as a Liberal MP.
“My commitment to leaving a better world for the future of our children and our planet remains unchanged,” he said.
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Environmentalists, as well as fellow MPs, said the decision for him to step down must not have come easily.
“I’ve never met a more tireless, sincere, and relentlessly optimistic guy,” said Canadian Climate Institute president Rick Smith in a statement. “His accomplishments have measurably improved the quality of life of Canadians.”
Former Liberal immigration minister Marc Miller said he knocked on doors for Mr. Guilbeault in 2019 and ultimately became friends with him.
“I can only imagine how difficult this decision was on him both personally and professionally,” Mr. Miller said.
“I wish him and his family all the best and look forward to continuing our work together as colleagues in the House of Commons.”
Mr. Carney had met with cabinet earlier in the week to brief them on the new accord, and at one point, Mr. Guilbeault walked out of the room for several minutes.
Opinion: Ottawa risks billions in investments for a pipeline to nowhere
He was among the MPs who were privately expressing their doubts about the deal, and whether its claims to still be devoted to climate protections could be taken seriously.
Those doubts still lingered into late Thursday, with some MPs privately expressing frustrations with the deal and wondering how they will sell it to supporters.
In his own statement, Mr. Carney said Mr. Guilbeault’s leadership has shaped a more hopeful horizon for future generations.
“As Prime Minister, I have been deeply grateful for his counsel and contributions to our new government, which shares his fundamental commitment to climate ambition and climate competitiveness for Canada,” the statement said.
“While we may have differing views at times on how exactly we make essential progress, I am glad Steven will continue to offer his important perspectives as a Member of Parliament in our Liberal caucus.”
Earlier Thursday, Mr. Carney had been asked whether the deal with Alberta was good enough to keep Mr. Guilbeault in cabinet.
He replied that it was good enough for the government, and in his statement on Mr. Guilbeault, he defended the deal’s approach to combatting climate change.
B.C. Premier calls Alberta’s pipeline proposal a distraction from real projects
Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson said Mr. Guilbeault had been a wonderful cabinet colleague and a friend, and he was sad to see him leave.
“Politics is, people make decisions,” he said in an interview.
“I’m not going to make judgments about decisions other people make. I respect their decisions. I have a job to do. I’m going to do my job.”
As environment minister, Mr. Guilbeault frequently attracted the ire of Alberta Premier Danielle Smith for policies affecting the oil and gas industry, such as the oil-and-gas-emissions cap and clean-energy regulations.
Sam Blackett, spokesperson for Ms. Smith’s office, said in a statement that the Alberta government is excited about its agreement with Ottawa: “It’s unfortunate that Mr. Guilbeault doesn’t feel the same way,” Mr. Blackett wrote.
Some in the Alberta government celebrated his departure.
Alberta United Conservative MLA Justin Wright, in the provincial legislature on Thursday, called Mr. Guilbeault’s resignation “the second-best news of the day” – a remark that was met with hoots and hollers in the House.
Mr. Wright referred to the Liberal MP as an “eco-cultist” and said Mr. Guilbeault was resigning “seemingly over the dismantling of his legacy.”
Others among his political opponents paid a begrudging tribute to his decision to go.
Dan Albas, a Conservative MP from B.C., said online that while they disagree on policy, “I will say resigning over principle is an honourable act.”
Mr. Guilbeault’s resignation now sets the stage for a cabinet shuffle. It was not immediately clear how quickly he would be replaced.
Mr. Carney returns to Ottawa on Friday.
With reports from Matthew Scace, Marie Woolf and Emma Graney