Mr. Guilbeault made these comments Monday on the sidelines of a council of ministers retreat taking place in Montebello, in Outaouais, in the context where the main aspiring leaders to succeed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau are proposing to review the federal pricing of carbon.
“I am currently discussing with the candidates to find out, ‘OK, but if we don’t have the price component on pollution for consumers, what can we replace it with to continue to fight against climate change?’ “, he told journalists in the press scrum.
Carbon pricing is a flagship policy of Justin Trudeau’s government. Both former minister Chrystia Freeland and former central bank governor Mark Carney, as well as parliamentary leader Karina Gould, intend to revisit this measure in an attempt to be in tune with concerns expressed among the population about the cost of living. .
All three aspire to become the next Liberal leader, while the Conservatives have long promised to put an end to what they call “the carbon tax.”
Asked whether, personally, he believes that replacing the price on pollution for consumers is necessary, Mr. Guilbeault did not respond directly.
“I see that it has become very unpopular with the population, mainly because of Pierre Poilievre’s lies,” he offered. So what I want is for Canada to continue to move forward in the fight against climate change.”
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s team did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Canadian Press.
The Minister of the Environment promises to try to be re-elected in the next federal election, regardless of what happens to the price of fuel.
-He nevertheless insisted on the effects of a completely different aspect of the policy, namely the “industries component”.
“The industrial component gives us three times more emissions reduction than the consumer component. I am not telling you that it is not an important measure, it will have to be replaced by something else,” he concluded.
He also did not hide his fears about the administration of President Donald Trump, sworn in on Monday. The same day, the White House announced that the United States will withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord.
“The American president, like Pierre Poilievre, does not even believe in the reality of climate change while California is going through one of the worst forest fire seasons in its history,” said the one who was previously a notorious environmental activist.
Mr. Guilbeault, however, nuanced that it remains to be seen what will happen to the planned American investments with regard to the law on the reduction of inflation, known by its English acronym IRA, which provides for imposing sums in terms of the environment.
“We must remember that nearly two-thirds of the investments made through this American federal program are in Republican states,” he said. It creates a lot of jobs, it generates a lot of investment.”
Mr. Guilbeault, while pointing out the effect of Mr. Poilievre’s statements to explain Canadians’ perception of the price on pollution, refuses to say whether he considers that the words of the leader of the official opposition influence internal debates in the Liberal Party of Canada. Same story with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mélanie Joly, who stuck to mentioning that she had “made known” her “point of view” on the leadership race, evoking the fact that she supports Mr. Carney’s candidacy.
