In a major political event, Canada’s Heritage Minister, Steven Guilbeault, has left his job in the government. He resigned because he strongly disagrees with a new energy agreement between Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta’s leader, Danielle Smith. The deal, announced on Thursday, plans for a new heavy oil pipeline to the Pacific Coast. This decision has created serious disagreements inside the government and across the country about climate change and the economy.
The agreement is a big change for Canada’s energy plans. The national government will remove some important environmental rules. For example, it will cancel a planned limit on pollution from the oil and gas industry. At the same time, Alberta has promised to make its own carbon pricing stronger and invest billions in technology to capture carbon. Supporters say the new pipeline is important for the economy. It will send one million barrels of oil every day to markets in Asia. Prime Minister Carney said the deal was necessary because of trade pressure from the United States.
However, this decision had an immediate political result. Minister Guilbeault, who is a well-known environmentalist, said he was resigning with "great sadness." He said the pipeline does not match Canada's promises on climate change. He believes it will harm the environment and make it harder for Canada to reduce its pollution.
The deal has received very different reactions. The oil industry and Alberta’s leader are very happy, saying it will bring a lot of investment. But there is also strong opposition. The leader of British Columbia does not support the new pipeline route. Also, a group of Indigenous communities in British Columbia has promised to stop the project, saying they "will not allow oil tankers on the northwest coast." The minister’s resignation shows the deep divisions in the government, and the country now faces a long and difficult debate over this pipeline.