Alberta Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz urged Canadians to approach Prime Minister Mark Carney and the federal Liberals with caution on Monday, less than a month before the April 28 federal election.
In a statement posted to X, Schulz lambasted the Liberal government’s record over the past decade, blaming it for economic hardship and squandered opportunities.
“When it comes to the litany of disastrous and punitive federal policies over the last 10 years, Albertans remember, it was an entire Liberal government that imposed and supported the very policies that raised the cost of living, drove away investments, limited our economy and trade partnerships, and hurt Canadian families from coast to coast,” said Schulz, whose comments were derived from an interview on 880 CHED.
She singled out measures like “crippling taxes on consumers, plastic bans, anti-pipeline and anti-industry laws, oil and gas production caps, and a closed for business foreign policy.”
Schulz accused the Liberals of telling global partners there was “no business case for LNG,” arguing these policies have undermined Canada’s energy sector and trade prospects.
In 2022, former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said during a press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Montreal that there had "never been a strong business case" for exporting LNG from Canada’s East Coast to Europe.
Schulz stressed that responsibility extends beyond one leader. “Every single Liberal MP and their NDP followers stood by, defended, and went along with this activist agenda for the last 10 years,” she said, adding Carney shares the same perspective.
With the election nearing, Schulz framed the vote as a turning point.
“If we want to ensure energy reliability and affordability, as well as grow trade relationships and markets to protect our national security, the Liberals are not the answer,” she said.
Her remarks come as energy and economic issues dominate the campaign trail.
Carney, meanwhile, has adjusted his stance on carbon pricing. On January 31, in a Halifax speech as a Liberal leadership candidate, he pledged to axe the consumer carbon tax, calling it “too divisive,” while vowing to “keep the most important element, which is the industrial price.”
On March 14, his first day as prime minister, Carney signed a directive to eliminate the consumer carbon tax effective April 1, saying, “This will make a difference to hard-pressed Canadians, but it is part of a much bigger set of measures to fight against climate change.”
He preserved the industrial carbon pricing framework, reinforcing his focus on targeting large emitters.