Prime Minister Mark Carney during a meeting with local ironworkers after announcing a new energy deal on Thursday. (Todd Korol/Reuters)The LatestOttawa and Alberta signed a major new agreement today charting a path forward for the country’s energy sector.The memorandum of understanding gives Alberta special exemptions from federal environmental laws standing in the way of a proposed new oil pipeline to the B.C. coast.The deal said “one or more” new pipelines can happen, but only with the development of a major carbon capture, utilization and storage project.Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said the deal is a “moment of opportunity” for the province and the start of a new relationship with the Liberal government.B.C. Premier David Eby said the project isn’t grounded in reality, partly because it opens the door for changes to the tanker ban off B.C.’s North Coast.Liberal Minister Steven Guilbeault resigned from Carney’s cabinet over the deal.November 272 hours agoWe’re ending our live coverageRhianna SchmunkWhat’s next after Carney, Smith’s memorandum of understanding?Ottawa and Alberta signed a memorandum of understanding that gives the province special exemptions from federal environmental laws and offers support for a new oil pipeline to the B.C. coast. CBC’s chief political correspondent Rosemary Barton discusses what comes next after this historic agreement. For those just tuning into this page, here’s what to know.The day started with Prime Minister Mark Carney signing an agreement with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, which lays the groundwork for a proposed new bitumen pipeline from the oilsands to B.C.’s North Coast. The move is political for both Carney and Smith, but also signals that the prime minister is looking to take the national economy in a different direction: away from Trudeau-era climate policies and an even older reliance on what has become an unpredictable American trade relationship.Politicians, stakeholders and regular Canadians had a range of reactions to the news. Smith said the deal kicks off “a new relationship” between Alberta and a prime minister who cares about the province’s prosperity. The Calgary Chamber of Commerce gave Carney — a Liberal prime minister in oil country — a standing ovation. B.C. Premier David Eby, on the other hand, said the new pipeline isn’t realistic, but the suggestion alone risks compromising real major resources projects underway out west by alienating First Nations communities and distracting key players.The Haisla Nation, Coastal First Nations and the B.C. Union of Indian Chiefs were among the Indigenous groups to say a new pipeline isn’t on the table. Later, a federal minister quit Carney’s cabinet in protest.We’ll have more coverage on cbc.ca/news.2 hours agoCarney says he’s ‘deeply grateful’ for Guilbeault’s contributionsSarah PetzIn a post on X just a few minutes ago, Carney said he was “deeply grateful” for Guilbeault’s “counsel and contributions to our new government.”The prime minister said he was glad that the Trudeau-era MP would remain in caucus. While its members may have “differing views,” Carney said, the Liberal government shares Guilbeault’s “fundamental commitment to climate ambition and climate competitiveness for Canada.”Whether in civil society or in Cabinet, Steven Guilbeault’s leadership to advance sustainability has consistently shaped a more hopeful horizon for future generations.As Prime Minister, I have been deeply grateful for his counsel and contributions to our new government, which…—MarkJCarney2 hours agoEnvironmental groups ask: Where is the support for renewables?Inayat SinghToday’s announcement is turning out to be a huge disappointment for climate groups who want Ottawa to double down on renewable energy like wind and solar and move away from carbon-intensive fossil fuels.”I think unfortunately we’re seeing this sort of very ambitious thinking around pipelines and gas projects that are the energy of the past and are not a stable basis for economies,” said Conor Curtis, spokesperson for Sierra Club Canada.Stephen Thomas with the David Suzuki Foundation said in a statement that the MOU is “adding to the abandonment of climate action from this federal government.” The group said that investing in oil and gas infrastructure is financially questionable as the world transitions away from fossil energy, and will leave behind pollution that Canadians will have to clean upJessica Green, a professor at the University of Toronto and prominent scholar of environmental politics, took to Bluesky to call building pipelines “the energy equivalent [of] investing in VHS tapes in 2025.””At least the U.S. has the cojones to say it doesn’t give a shit about climate. [Prime Minister Mark Carney] is still pretending that Canada does,” Green said.2 hours agoHaisla Nation calls MOU a ‘major step back’ in Crown-Indigenous relations Sarah PetzWhy the Haisla Nation opposes a pipeline to B.C.’s coastAlberta Premier Danielle Smith and Prime Minister Mark Carney have signed a deal, paving the way for a pipeline to B.C.’s northern coast. But B.C.’s government, Haisla Nation and other coastal Indigenous communities, say they don’t want it.Elected Haisla Chief Maureen Nyce says her community is very disappointed that the federal government has committed to this agreement.Nyce said the MOU declares the project is of national interest “without any engagement whatsoever with Indigenous people across the province or along the coast,” she told CBC News Network. “They’ve taken a major step back, in my opinion, in terms of the relationship with First Nations with this announcement.”2 hours ago‘The answer is no’: Union of B.C. Indian ChiefsSamantha SchwientekGrand Chief Stewart Phillip during a news conference in May. (Ethan Cairns/The Canadian Press)In its own statement, the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) said it is “loudly objecting” to the MOU, noting that it was done without involvement from coastal First Nations in the province. They said the agreement does not meet the requirements around the duty to consult that are outlined in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.“The answer is still no and always will be,” said UBCIC Grand Chief Stewart Phillip in a statement.Phillip also said lifting the ban on crude oil tankers in the region amounted to bulldozing First Nation rights.3 hours agoMay pitches Green Party to GuilbeaultSarah PetzMay calls on Steven Guilbeault to join Green PartyGreen Party Leader Elizabeth May is calling on Liberal MP Steven Guilbeault to join her party after learning he’s leaving his post in cabinet. Guilbeault quit cabinet over the memorandum of understanding with Alberta signed earlier in the day. Guilbeault, a longtime environmentalist, was the country’s minister of environment and climate change for four years under Justin Trudeau. Meanwhile, Green Party Leader Elizabeth May is making her pitch to Guilbeault to join her party. May said Guilbeault leaving cabinet “dashes the last hope that Mark Carney is going to have a good climate record ever.” “So Steven Guilbeault has given up on Mark Carney. Don’t give up on democracy, don’t give up on climate action. Join us, now’s the time.” 3 hours agoRhianna SchmunkHodgson is flying to B.C. tonight to meet with his counterpart, B.C. Energy Minister Adrian Dix, and the premier about today’s deal. “We’re going to see what we can do,” Hodgson said.3 hours ago’We need to take a deep breath,’ energy minister saysSarah PetzAsked about concerns over the lack of Indigenous consultation and rollback of environmental regulations, Hodgson said the agreement doesn’t mean a pipeline is going to be built imminently, but lays out a path for how officials will work together to advance projects “We need to take a deep breath. There is no pipeline yet,” Hodson said.“There is no proposed route yet. The consultations that would need to happen have not yet occurred.”3 hours agoRhianna SchmunkEnergy and Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson spoke about Guilbeault on CBC’s Power & Politics just now, after watching footage of the Alberta legislature applauding Guilbeault’s decision to leave cabinet.”Steven is a good friend, someone I respect deeply. He’s been a very good cabinet minister and has done amazing, good things for Canada,” he said.”I think we can all respect Minister Guilbeault as somebody who’s dedicated his life for the betterment of Canada. He believes in this country. He’s been a great colleague and a friend and I look forward to continuing to work with him.”3 hours agoA walking anti-pipeline symbol goneJason MarkusoffGuilbeault on Parliament Hill on Tuesday. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)Guilbeault’s resignation adds even more lustre to a good news day for Smith. The environmentalist-turned minister was long a thorn in the oil-producing province’s side, and a routine subject of scorn — a walking symbol, to them, of the Liberal government’s distaste for more western energy production and pipelines.Even after he moved out of the environment portfolio and into heritage, Smith and United Conservatives continued to verbally spar with him over the merits of pipelines. Guilbeault remained a public voice on climate and energy issues, even while on a largely unrelated job — and Smith remained aware that he’d still carry influence over her province’s economic interests as long as he had a place at the prime minister’s cabinet table.
Carneys energy deal went down very differently, depending on who you ask. Heres how the day played out
