Guilbeault resigns from cabinet
Steven Guilbeault, who came out of a background of environmental jobs like running the Quebec Greenpeace chapter, has resigned from the federal cabinet over Mark Carney’s pipeline promise to Alberta premier Danielle Smith. He also drops his role as Quebec lieutenant. Guilbeault is staying in the Liberal caucus as MP for Laurier—Sainte-Marie.
Ian 10:56 on 2025-11-28 Permalink
Pretty wild play by Carney considering BC is flat out refusing to go along, as well they should. Guilbeault did the right thing, but I’d love to see him take it a step further and cross the floor to the NDP or Greens.
Joey 11:43 on 2025-11-28 Permalink
I read one analysis that basically said this is all highly performative pipeline love from Carney, who knows that the thing will never get built (lack of enthusiastic private sector partner, resistance from BC but more importantly from First Nations that cannot be as easily dismissed) – he gets a little love-in from Danielle Smith and Alberta who, in exchange, will be increasing the province’s industrial carbon price (see here: https://www.nationalobserver.com/2025/11/27/opinion/method-mark-carney-madness). I’m not sure I’m convinced – this sounds like five-dimensional chess – but I am similarly unconvinced the pipeline will get built.
Meezly 12:06 on 2025-11-28 Permalink
I really want to believe that optimistic perspective, that Carney’s deal is more a strategic move to win over Alberta than realistically getting the pipeline built, and the act of making the deal may still help boost the economy. But wouldn’t Guilbeault have been in on it then? Unless he’s looking for an excuse to leave the cabinet, or the deal won’t look legit unless Guilbeault makes some kind of statement?
Ian 12:16 on 2025-11-28 Permalink
Occam’s razor says nah
CE 16:47 on 2025-11-28 Permalink
I’m not sure about the Greens but the NDP doesn’t allow an MP to cross the floor to them without a byelection. Although now that NDP MPs are almost a rounding error in the HoC, they might be willing to overlook the rule at the moment (especially for someone like Guilbeault who I always thought was more ideologically aligned to the NDP and ran in a riding where the NDP came in a close second).
bob 09:26 on 2025-11-29 Permalink
He quit because he was sidelined, and can’t do anything. If he can’t do anything as heritage minister, he can do less as an NDP backbencher. He’s going to go to a not-for-profit, or some other organization where he can do things rather than yell into the wind.
Ian 10:39 on 2025-11-29 Permalink
That’s not at all true, bob – every vote counts right now, as we saw in the last budget. Even the Greens were being courted by Carney for support. This is an opportunity to negotiate for NDP and or Green issues, much like Singh attemptd in the last Parliament. That the NDP are a “rounding error” has nothing to do with the value of their vote in tipping the very close minority., especially as the gloss comes off Carney’s vision and the real neoliberal corporatist technocrat agenda is revealed.
bob 13:33 on 2025-11-29 Permalink
If he can’t advocate for green issues within his own party, what can he do in opposition? If Carney needs a vote or two to pass a bill that removes environmental regulations altogether he has 143 eager Conservative votes to make up his majority (viz. C-5). The CPC is not against that neoliberal agenda in general. The budget passed because no one wants an election so soon. The NDP got nothing out of it.
CE 11:56 on 2025-11-30 Permalink
I wasn’t a huge fan of Singh as leader of the NDP but I really would have liked to seen him in the House in the lead-up to the budget. He has a lot of experience negotiating with the Liberals and getting some concessions out of them. He and Carney also seemed to have a good rapport. You could see a lot of respect between them during the debates, even when they were disagreeing.