The CBC has reported that 14 Liberal MPs co-signed a letter to Prime Minister Carney in response to his pipeline deal with the Alberta Premier, reminding him that “climate change remains the greatest threat of our time.”
MP Gazan Statement on Prime Minister Carney’s Environmental Backslide
The CBC has reported that 14 Liberal MPs co-signed a letter to Prime Minister Carney in response to his pipeline deal with the Alberta Premier, reminding him that “climate change remains the greatest threat of our time.” This came alongside warnings from the former Liberal Environment Minister that Carney’s changes to pipeline reviews will “take us back decades.” Yet despite these calls from members of his own party, Carney has doubled down on his pipeline plans with Alberta, made without the involvement of impacted First Nations, while ignoring alarm bells sounding across party lines about the escalating climate emergency.
By now, it is obvious to many Liberals that they are being led by a right-wing conservative.
Even by Pierre Poilievre’s admission, Carney continues to ‘steal his ideas’ when it comes to cutting environmental protections. We know the Conservatives’ history with environmental protections—they don’t have any. Carney’s failure to put forward any climate plan is made worse by his repealing and weakening virtually every climate mandate introduced in recent years.
Instead of building a sustainable future in renewables and clean energy sources, Carney is fast-tracking environmentally catastrophic oil and gas projects and violating the constitutionally enshrined rights of Indigenous peoples. In Alberta, Treaty 8 Chiefs have demanded a pause on pipeline development due to Carney’s failure to involve them in negotiations with the Alberta premier. They have demanded the Prime Minister facilitate consultation and accommodation consistent with Constitutional norms. Moreover, Coastal First Nations in BC have repeatedly stated they are firmly opposed to a pipeline or crude oil tankers in coastal waters due to the risks to their local habitats and way of life.
The free, prior and informed consent of Indigenous peoples is not optional, contrary to what the Prime Minister may think. It is an obligation affirmed in the Constitution Act of 1982 and in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which the government has affirmed had application in Canadian law through Bill C-15.
The Liberals’ failure to join global leaders and transition to clean energy is hurting everyone across Canada, including working-class communities. Recent research confirmed that global oil shocks caused by Trump’s war in Iran will accelerate inflation on everyday goods, contributing to the cost-of-living crisis that so many Canadians are already struggling with. If the Liberals really cared about affordability, they would be investing in made-in-Canada renewable energy infrastructure to end our vulnerability to global price shocks.
While Carney talks about uniting Canada, even his own party is becoming further divided on his pipeline plan. As we reach a crossroads on the climate emergency, we cannot allow the Liberal government to keep uplifting the corporate class raking in super-profits from this crisis. Instead, we must uphold the rights of those on its frontlines: Indigenous peoples, working-class communities, and all the young people who stand to inherit the disastrous consequences of this government’s inability to meet the moment.
Manitobans are no strangers to the consequences of the climate crisis.
On June 5, 2026, MP Leah Gazan, NDP Critic for Persons with Disabilities made the following statement:
On June 3, 2026, MP Leah Gazan made the following statement: