‘I’m not the only one who’s uncomfortable’: Guilbeault in his own words on why he quit

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OTTAWA — Outgoing Liberal MP and former cabinet minister Steven Guilbeault says he’s not the only caucus member who’s upset with the Liberals’ environmental policy shift since last year’s election.

“If you look at our campaign platform during the last election — that platform, commitments that we made to Canadians — mentioned climate change 28 times,” Guilbeault said in an interview on CTV Power Play with Vassy Kapelos on Wednesday. “It did not mention ‘pipeline’ once.”

“So, I think rightfully so, some people, whether they’re Liberal caucus members, whether they’re Canadians at large, are wondering what is happening,” he added.

Guilbeault officially announced Wednesday he plans to resign his seat in the House of Commons, after CTV News had reported the day prior, based on sources, that he was mulling the decision because of his climate policy concerns.

• READ MORE: Guilbeault to resign as an MP over Carney government’s climate policies

Four sources in the federal government pointed to Guilbeault’s disagreement with the Liberals’ rollback of Trudeau-era climate policies and the most recent iteration of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Alberta, aimed at building a new pipeline.

Asked by Kapelos whether the MOU determined his decision to quit politics, Guilbeault said: “Yes.”

“I wasn’t opposed to the idea of signing a memorandum of understanding with Alberta, but we shouldn’t do so at the expense of our plan to fight climate change,” he said.

The staunch environmentalist said he “respectfully disagree(s) with the approach that the government is taking” when it comes to climate policy.

“I think that the approach that it’s taking is that the markets will largely tackle the issue of climate change, and I don’t agree with that,” he said.

“I think the markets have a very important role to play,” he added. “But we need a mix of things to be able to both grow the economy and tackle our pollution levels, and right now we’re giving away a number of those levers.”

Asked by Kapelos whether he believes other MPs will follow his lead and call it quits over disagreements with the Liberal climate policy, Guilbeault said it’s “a good question.”

“I can tell you that I’m not the only one who’s uncomfortable with what’s happening,” he said. “Other than that, I’m not sure what people will do.”

In a letter posted to social media Wednesday, Guilbeault said he’ll stay on as an MP until later in the summer, at which point he’ll resign the seat he’s held in the House of Commons since 2019.

The former cabinet minister also said he’ll remain as part of the Liberal caucus until his resignation from Parliament.

Speaking to reporters after the Liberal caucus meeting Wednesday morning, Guilbeault said staying on as an MP through the summer will allow him to wrap up projects he’s been working on in his constituency.

‘I was a very convenient scapegoat’: Guilbeault

The recently inked MOU is not the first time Guilbeault has been at odds with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith.

When Guilbeault was environment and climate change minister under former prime minister Justin Trudeau, Smith called for him to be replaced in the portfolio, saying at the time she couldn’t work with him.

In an interview with BNN on Wednesday, Smith said she is “glad” to see Guilbeault resign.

“I think that he has done more to damage national unity probably than any other politician, and I think that the fact that we can work out our differences and come to some common understanding that benefits both Alberta and Canada is the way our country should work,” Smith said.

Asked by Kapelos on Wednesday about the reaction from some to his resignation — and many being glad at the development because they found him to be a polarizing figure — Guilbeault insisted disagreement between Ottawa and Western provinces over energy policy has existed since before he was in government.

“We bought a pipeline in 2018 hoping that it would help to alleviate some of those tensions,” Guilbeault said. “That did not help at all.”

“I think I was a very convenient scapegoat for some people, and I think, unfortunately, the issue of climate change is now caught in this culture war that we’re seeing,” he also said.

PMO tried to get him to stay

Speaking to reporters in Ottawa on Wednesday, Prime Minister Mark Carney said he’s “always enjoyed working” with Guilbeault, pointing to their extensive collaboration, including when Carney was the United Nations special representative on climate action and finance.

Asked whether the deal was worth it, despite Guilbeault consequently deciding to leave, Carney said: “Absolutely.”

In a statement posted to social media following the caucus meeting, Carney thanked Guilbeault for his service.

“Steven’s many contributions in civil society and public service have always been guided by his convictions and driven by his pursuit of a stronger, more inclusive, and more sustainable future,” Carney wrote.

Speaking to Kapelos, Guilbeault said he “knew Mark before (he) knew prime minister Carney.”

Kapelos asked whether there was an effort to convince him to stay on.

“There was some conversation with his office,” Guilbeault said. “They said they were interested in keeping me on board, but at the same time, I don’t think they were particularly pleased with the fact that I was being publicly vocal in my disagreement with the government on some of those issues.”

Guilbeault also said while he respects Carney and his colleagues, it’s “just time” for him to go.

Cabinet ministers also commented on the news Wednesday. Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne gave him a pat on the shoulder as the two left the Quebec caucus meeting Wednesday morning.

Champagne later referred to Guilbeault as “a friend,” and said he applauds him as a person and for his dedication to Canada.

And, speaking to reporters following an announcement in B.C. Wednesday, Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson thanked Guilbeault for his service, and said he wanted to recognize his passion.

Hodgson said the Liberal caucus shares a view that it wants to achieve the 2050 net-zero targets. Guilbeault, however, told Kapelos he no longer believes Canada will be able meet that goal.

With files from CTV News’ Vassy Kapelos, Stephanie Ha, and Rachel Hanes