'He's been a strong voice on climate issues': Liberal caucus chair on Steven Guilbeault

Añadido: 2026-05-27

[00:00:00]on Mr. Evbo. Has he told you about his future, sir? Mr. >> Evbo.

[00:00:05]>> Thank you, Prime Minister.

[00:00:06]>> Well, I'm a good friend of Steven. I've worked a lot to bring him in politics, and he will always be a good friend. Uh I also think that I'm part of much more the environmentalist part of uh of uh the Liberal Party and cabinet. But I also think that what we've done with the MOU makes sense.

[00:00:32]Are you talking about a majority over environmental policies and some resignations?

[00:00:36]>> No, >> I've heard that. I really want him to stay. I think he's a great guy. I think I I think I' I'd rather have him in caucus saying what he thinks.

[00:00:47]>> We'll start tonight with some breaking and very significant news on Parliament Hill. One of the Liberal Party's most vocal and unwavering environmentalist, Steven Gibo, is poised to resign as an MP and tell Liberal caucus when it meets tomorrow. Gilbo confirmed the news to CTV just last hour and says he won't make any additional public comments until he speaks with his caucus colleagues tomorrow morning. Gibo's made no secret of his concern over the roll back of big climate change policies he oversaw the implementation of as environment minister under Justin Trudeau. He first voiced concern about the pipeline deal with Alberta when it was initially signed back in November, quitting the prime minister's cabinet back then as a result. So, what does all of it mean politically for the Liberals and for the prime minister? Liberal caucus chair James Maloney is with me live in studio right now. Hi, Mr. Maloney. It's good to see you. Thank you very much for making the time.

[00:01:34]>> Very good to see you. Happy to be here.

[00:01:35]>> Has Mr. Gibbo conveyed this news to you?

[00:01:37]Like, do you do you understand it to be the case that that he will resign as an MP?

[00:01:41]>> I saw the headlines on the screen coming in. I've seen it in the news all day today. I'm not going to speculate on what Mr. Gibo may or may not do tomorrow. Uh we have a caucus meeting tomorrow. Uh so I I don't really have any comment on it, frankly.

[00:01:54]>> So So his concerns, as he's expressed them publicly before and that that letter conveyed to the prime minister, are primarily around the stuff that your government is doing that entails a roll back of significant climate policies that were in place under the Trudeau government. everything from the consumer carbon tax to now the industrial price on carbon to uh an emissions cap on oil and gas to clean electricity regulations, methane regulations. It is his view that all of that has essentially to some degree or another been watered down. How do you respond?

[00:02:23]>> Look, Stephen uh he's a caucus colleague, but he's also a friend. He was elected in 2019. I've had the pleasure of working with him for seven years now. He's been a strong voice on climate issues, as have many other of my caucus colleagues, I should add.

[00:02:37]Somebody asked me today, "How many members do you have in your climate caucus?" I said, "I think 174." Uh, and I'm only half kidding when I say that.

[00:02:44]But look, Stephen, uh, he's been a a strong voice, and I've been glad to work with him.

[00:02:50]You know, he's what his actions have been in the in the recent weeks. I mean, I don't need to review those. He's made his views very clear, but he's still a member of the caucus and he still supports this government, and we can't lose sight of that. I've talked to Stephen about that.

[00:03:04]I talk to Stephen and my other colleagues, you know, on a daily basis when we're here in Ottawa, and Stephen's proud to be a member of this Liberal caucus.

[00:03:12]>> But what does it say that tomorrow is going to give a different impression?

[00:03:16]And even leaving cabinet left a different impression with Canadians.

[00:03:20]What does it say to the people who supported your party in the last election, believing that your that this prime minister would be as committed um to the idea of mitigating the impacts of climate change as someone like Steven Kibo, right? remember he was convinced to stick around and and run again under this prime minister.

[00:03:36]>> Look, Prime Minister Carney's climate credentials, I think, are unimpeachable for as a starting point. Uh when he resigned as a minister, I mean, we all saw what he said. Uh that was a personal decision he made. I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow. Um this this prime minister, this caucus is still moving forward with, you know, we've got a commitment to have net zero by 2050.

[00:03:57]The prime minister's reiterated that point as recently as today or yesterday, I believe. Um, I know there's an appetite out there for uh discussion about disscent and whatnot. I can only speak in my capacity as the national caucus chair and I can tell you there is no disscent. We have a big caucus with lots of different views. We always have we have wide ranging discussions and wide ranging views. But at the end of the day, we come out united and we are united today as we were yesterday and as I'm sure we will be tomorrow.

[00:04:27]>> Are you sure to that it's fair to characterize it as no descent? I understand your point about the credentials of the prime minister. Um, and and I'm I'm not here to impeach those credentials, but I am I am here to focus on the record of your government, which to put it plainly is not on track to meet 2030, 2035, or 2050 climate change targets or emissions reductions targets. It's not me saying that. It's the Canadian Climate Institute, which crunched the numbers following that announcement with Premier Smith last week and said, "The stuff that you have laid out simply doesn't get you there."

[00:04:57]Now, isn't it incumbent on your government to kind of be straight with Canadians about that? I understand that you may have different priorities. I understand we face an economic crisis.

[00:05:04]Public opinion polling shows Canadians understand that as well. Why do you guys continue to insist that both can be done at the same time when that's just not true?

[00:05:12]>> Well, I believe it is true. And first of all, disagreement does not mean disscent. And that's the great thing about this caucus. There's been lots of times over the last 10 years when I haven't been 100% on board with things that the government's doing. and I make my position known and other people do too. But at the end of the day, we come out reaching a consensus and we're on the same page and this is no different.

[00:05:32]So I don't the word dissent is not uh it's being improperly used here. There's disagreement, wide ranging views and that's healthy. I mean we have a pretty broad spectrum of views in our caucus and that's something I'm very proud of.

[00:05:45]So, we have lots of different discussions, but to suggest that we're not uh moving forward in the same direction, I think it's just it's not accurate and it's not fair and it's a portrayal by people who are trying to paint a picture of something that's not real in my opinion.

[00:05:59]>> So, so the people who are like, for example, every environmental organization that has crunched the numbers, like they're just out there trying to malign the government, like I'm not sure I'm not sure that's fair.

[00:06:07]Like it's and again I'm I'm pushing back with with great respect on this idea that things are headed in the same direction they were even two years ago on climate like it's objectively not the case. You have rolled back all almost all of the policies that were put in place. There's nobody saying that the targets are going to be met except for your government without providing evidence.

[00:06:26]>> So there is somebody saying the targets are going to be met and the targets are longterm. We're putting strategies in place right now which are going to ensure those targets are met. Look, I defy you or anybody else to find me a time when all of these third party organizations have all been saying, "Yes, what the government is doing. You know, what they're saying is 100% accurate." There's always going to be discrepancies and different views. But the point is, as a government, we're we're working on these targets and we're going we believe we're going to meet them and the prime minister's true to his word on everything he said. And you have >> the case with great respect. That was just to interrupt, pardon me. If that were the case, why is Steven Gibo confirming to me that he's no longer going to be an MP? Well, you say he's confirmed that to you. I'll I'll leave that there. I'm not going to comment on that. Um, you'd have to ask him that question. I've talked to Steven about this, not about about this current situation, but I've talked to Steven about these issues, you know, for years now, and Steven is committed to our party like he always was, and I believe he always will be, too. And let's not lose sight of that. So sometimes circumstances change and we all know circumstances have changed pretty dramatically right now. I mean we're facing a situation as a country that we weren't facing 18 months ago or 12 months ago for that matter. So I mean you heard Minister Jolie today say what she had to say. Circumstances are different. We have to respond to those circumstances but it doesn't mean we're losing sight of or giving up on our objectives or the goals or the targets we plan to meet. I understand that and I think that's what I'm sort of getting at that I think Canadians by and large and public opinion polling bears this out understand we're in a crisis where the economy in particular getting our energy the stuff we sit on that could provide great value and and and um wealth to our country need something needs to happen there right but it it it just is demonstrabably false to say that what you're doing on the environment I is you know exactly the same as what you know used to be the case or is going to get us to our targets. Like we still have no evidence of that. And in fact, all the latest analysis that's out there shows that the stuff that you your party has and your government rather has put in place is not even anywhere close to what was the case in 2024, for example, when policy did leave to lead to tangible reductions.

[00:08:37]>> Okay. But look, we've been this is a new government. I don't think anybody's going to argue that point. Uh we are in different circumstances. We're taking a different approach to things where we're reacting to circumstances that were unforeseen 12 and 18 months ago. The prime minister is committed to these targets. Our government is committed to these targets. And as I said earlier, if you're going to find find me a situation when third party organizations or validators are all going to come forward and say governments, >> well, they did on the previous climate policies when they analyzed it. They showed it's this, you know, these are the percentages that get us to our emissions. Yeah, but the Canadian Climate Institute certainly is an objective. Uh, you know, your party has referenced it on multiple occasions. In any event, I'll move on. You we've certainly both made our points. I did want to ask you more largely about caucus cohesion in particular what it means for the majority, right? You're at 170 for four seats. We've got Jonathan Wilkinson confirming obviously he's going to the EU. Uh, Nathaniel, I >> can confirm.

[00:09:30]>> Yes. Nathaniel Erskin Smith said it on this program on the record on TV that he will also quit as of the end of this sitting and and resign as of the summer.

[00:09:37]And now with the potential for for Mr. you're looking at, you know, back to 171. I know those are ridings in which the Liberals are at the very least very competitive, but are you concerned about uh how tenable or not this majority is?

[00:09:51]>> Well, I mean, you're talking about math.

[00:09:53]The prime minister, if you look at the approach he's taken to governing for the past 12 months before we reach the majority threshold, he's moving forward with the policies he believes are best for the country. He's going to continue to do that. We're going to continue to do that as a government. The question is, are we going to win those bi-elections? And I believe we are because the prime minister and his his record is such that when I'm out talking to people in my constituency or talking to people in other constituencies, they believe in what we're doing. And you referenced that yourself a few moments ago. So I think when we go to the polls in Jonathan's writing or perhaps Nate's writing or u other writings uh whatever they may be, I'm confident that the Canadians will endorse Prime Minister Carney's approach to uh what we're doing. Do you have any sense of when those bi-elections would be called?

[00:10:39]>> I don't I don't I mean they haven't even left yet, so I'm not going to speculate.

[00:10:42]>> Officially not, so I thought I'd try.

[00:10:44]Okay, Mr. Maloney, I'll leave it on that. I appreciate you making the time for the conversation tonight. Thank you very much.

[00:10:48]>> My pleasure. Always happy to be here.

[00:10:49]James Maloney is the Liberals caucus chair.