As Liberal MPs prepare for a national caucus meeting in Edmonton next week, some are aiming to bring climate change to the forefront of the political agenda by creating a formal caucus to discuss the issue.
The effort comes as some MPs are quietly expressing concern that Prime Minister Mark Carney has relegated green initiatives to the background since coming to power.
“When I started as a member of Parliament, I noticed that there wasn’t necessarily a caucus to discuss the environment,” newly elected Montreal MP Éric St-Pierre said in an interview with Radio-Canada.
Together with Nova Scotia MP Shannon Miedema, St-Pierre proposed to his colleagues that they create a forum to discuss climate issues, similar to those that already exist for women’s and Indigenous issues.
After holding small virtual meetings over the summer, St-Pierre said the caucus will have its first in-person gathering in Edmonton with an invitation extended to all Liberal MPs.
The MP for Honoré-Mercier, who has a background in climate philanthropy, isn’t critical of Carney’s environmental track record as prime minister so far. He points out that the government is still new and expects proposals to be made in the coming months.
“I have enormous confidence in Mr. Carney and I think he is one of the prime ministers who is most knowledgeable about climate change issues,” he said.
But speaking on the condition that they not be named, two other MPs say Carney should be doing more to highlight his past role as UN special envoy on climate action.
“People don’t understand how someone who has championed climate issues for 15 years can suddenly become prime minister of a G7 country and stop talking about climate change. Not a word about it. What’s going on?” one Liberal MP said.
“Mr. Carney has had a very strong environmental position in the past. We want to make sure that he will remain true to his values,” another Liberal MP said.
Carney’s first move after being sworn in was to cancel the consumer carbon price — one of the Trudeau government’s flagship climate policies which the former governor of the Bank of Canada had once supported.
In June, the adoption of Bill C-5, which aims to accelerate major infrastructure projects, including a potential pipeline, also raised eyebrows among some Liberals behind the scenes. Last week, the prime minister announced that Dawn Farrell, former CEO of Trans Mountain, will head the government’s Major Projects Office.
“I want us to bring the environment back as a central issue,” says Quebec MP Alexandra Mendes, who represents Brossard-Saint-Lambert and will take part in the first meeting of the environmental caucus next week.
“It’s one of the key issues people talk to me about in my riding.”
Former leadership candidate Karina Gould, associated with the party’s more progressive wing, will also attend the environmental caucus meeting.
“There are many of us [Liberals] who care deeply about fighting climate change. This is an important voice that needs to be heard,” she said.
While some Liberal members want to hear more about green initiatives, others are happy with Carney’s shift in focus.
Three members of Parliament, speaking on the condition that they not be named, said the government must strike a balance between energy development and the fight against climate change.
“Under Mr. Trudeau, we had a very punitive environmental policy. It just frustrated everyone,” one MP said.
The three MPs believe that Carney’s current posture reflects the views of most Canadians.
In a Léger poll published in July, only four per cent of respondents ranked the environment as their top concern. The online survey included 1,546 Canadian adults and has a 2.49 per cent margin of error 19 times out of 20.
The Prime Minister’s Office was not available for comment. In a statement, the Minister of Environment’s director of communications, Jenna Ghassabeh, said Carney “has been clear that fighting climate change, protecting communities and building Canada are top priorities.”
The government, she added, is “continuing to invest in community resilience, climate adaptation and mitigation programs in communities across the country.”
