OTTAWA — Quebec MP and former environment minister Steven Guilbeault says he will resign his seat this summer and remain in the Liberal caucus until then.
Guilbeault said in a statement on social media that he informed his Liberal colleagues during Wednesday morning’s caucus meeting about his intentions and will address the House of Commons later in the afternoon.
“This decision is the result of careful consideration,” he wrote in a statement posted to X.
“After almost seven years as Member of parliament and minister, I have come to the conclusion that it is time for me to pursue my fight for environmental protection and the fight against climate change in a different way.”
He also thanked his constituents of his Montreal riding of Laurier—Sainte-Marie for their support.
“Around the world, we have demonstrated what we can accomplish with ambition and determination,” Guilbeault wrote.
‘It is with this same conviction that I wish to continue this fight for the generations who will inherit our precious and unique blue planet.”
Before his official announcement, a source confirmed on Tuesday that Guilbeault, who was first elected back in 2019 and served in cabinet under former prime minister Justin Trudeau as environment minister, was resigning because of the deal Carney struck with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith to pave the way for the construction of a new oil pipeline, as well as the government’s general approach to environmental policies.
Guilbeault quit Carney’s cabinet as the minister responsible for Canadian heritage on the day that the deal with Alberta was signed last November.
Since then, he has been a frequent critic of the government when it comes to the rolling back and relaxing environmental policies that had been put into motion under Trudeau, including the cancelling of the consumer carbon tax, scrapping of the electric vehicle mandate and signalling an openness to lifting the oil tanker mortarium off British Columbia’s coast to make way for a new pipeline.
Before entering politics, Guilbeault was a prominent environmentalist in Quebec, having co-founded the organization Équiterre. He also worked for Greenpeace and famously scaled the CN Tower in 2001 to protest Canada failing to ratify the Kyoto agreement.
He became a polarizing figure during his time as environment minister, with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and other conservative leaders slamming his policies as efforts to try and shut down oil and gas production, accusing him of pushing radical ideas.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an defence industrial conference in Ottawa on Wednesday, Carney said in French that he knew Guilbeault leaving the Liberal caucus had been a possibility and that the pair had “candid” discussions on many issues.
He nonetheless thanked Guilbeault for his time as a Liberal MP, with Carney saying he had worked with the former minister before entering politics during his time spent as a special advisor to the United Nations on climate change and finance.
“It’s for him to make decisions about his career,” the prime minister said.
“All aspects of all our careers, even journalists, even prime ministers, get to a point where things change and people make decisions and I very much respect that.”
Carney then offered Guilbeault his best wishes. The prime minister later released a statement once Guilbeault confirmed his intention to resign that outlined his accomplishments, including a plan to see 30 per cent of Canada’s biodiversity protected and establishing the country’s first emissions reduction plan.
He also touted how it was when Guilbeault was Canadian Heritage minister that Canada created the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
“ I am grateful for Steven’s leadership and expertise as a cabinet colleague and a member of our caucus,” Carney said in his statement.
“ Our government shares a commitment to climate ambition, climate competitiveness and the preservation of Canada’s extraordinary natural heritage.”
Cabinet ministers offered their own thanks for Guilbeault’s work while defended the Liberals approach to fighting climate change under Carney.
Procurement Minister Joel Lightbound, who serves as Quebec Lieutenant, a role Guilbeault had held until he resigned from cabinet last fall, told reporters that what he hears from his constituents is the need for pragmatism.
“The pragmatic approach that we’ve taken is that you need to have buy-in from provinces like Alberta if you are to have a meaningful climate and environmental plan.”
National Post
Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our politics newsletter, First Reading, here.