‘Many colleagues congratulated me for acting on principle,’ says Guilbeault

Resigning minister Steven Guilbeault, who completed his first week as a regular member of Parliament on Friday, says that several of his colleagues in the Liberal caucus congratulated him on his departure.

When asked in the corridors of parliament, Guilbeault said he received a “very warm welcome” when he walked into the Liberal caucus room on Wednesday for their weekly meeting.

“Many, many colleagues came up to me to hug me, congratulate me, and thank me for acting on principle,” he said on Thursday, one week after slamming the door on Mark Carney’s cabinet.

Guilbeault, a well-known environmentalist who made a name for himself as an activist for Greenpeace and Équiterre, was then Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture.

After the Liberal victory in October 2019, he was appointed Minister of Heritage in Justin Trudeau’s government. He became Minister of Environment in October 2021. Prime Minister Carney appointed him to the Ministry of Canadian Identity and Culture in March 2025. He presented the online streaming bill.

Guilbeault resigned from his position as minister in protest against the memorandum of understanding that Ottawa signed with Alberta to promote the construction of an oil pipeline to the Pacific coast.

The roadmap also provides Alberta with an exemption from the federal greenhouse gas emissions cap for the oil and gas sectors.

It also stipulates that the province will not have to comply with the Clean Electricity Regulations aimed at increasing the sale of electric vehicles.

According to him, these aspects will make it impossible for Canada to meet its 2030 greenhouse gas emission reduction targets.

Guilbeault continues to serve as member of parliament for Laurier—Sainte-Marie and maintains that he still has confidence in Carney’s government.

– With files from Émilie Bergeron, The Canadian Press

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews