OTTAWA — Fourteen Liberal MPs privately warned Prime Minister Mark Carney that his government risks losing credibility on climate policy as Ottawa moves closer toward major energy agreements with Alberta, according to a letter obtained by CBC/Radio-Canada.The letter, sent to Carney at the end of April before last week’s pipeline and industrial carbon pricing agreement with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, raised concerns about what the MPs described as environmental “backsliding.”“We remain deeply concerned; the government’s credibility will be seriously compromised,” the MPs wrote in the letter, according to Radio-Canada.The MPs reportedly came from multiple regions across the country, including Quebec and British Columbia, though none agreed to be publicly identified.The internal concerns emerged days before Carney formally signed a new agreement with Alberta that could pave the way for construction of a west coast oil pipeline beginning as early as September 2027.The deal also included changes to Alberta’s industrial carbon pricing framework, though with a slower implementation timeline than previously discussed..The MPs specifically urged the federal government to continue supporting clean electricity regulations introduced under former prime minister Justin Trudeau, policies that had become a major source of conflict between Ottawa and Alberta.“Climate change remains the greatest threat of our time,” the MPs wrote, according to the report.The tensions highlight growing divisions within Liberal ranks as Carney increasingly attempts to balance climate commitments with energy development and economic competitiveness.Last week, Carney announced a new National Electricity Strategy that included plans to soften aspects of Trudeau-era clean electricity regulations by allowing greater flexibility for natural gas generation.At the same time, Carney has defended the Alberta agreement as part of what he calls a broader nation-building and energy security strategy.“We will advance a potential pipeline to transport at least one million barrels of low-emission Alberta oil a day to new markets,” Carney said during a press conference last week.Former environment minister Steven Guilbeault has emerged as one of the most vocal Liberal critics of recent climate policy shifts under Carney, particularly regarding pipeline development and concessions to Alberta.The latest internal Liberal disputes follow the recent departure of Trudeau-era environmental figures Steven Guilbeault and Jonathan Wilkinson. Former environment minister Guilbeault resigned from cabinet earlier last year following disagreements regarding the Alberta memorandum of understanding.
