Alberta

Dec. 10, 2024

Federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault’s decision not to assess the impact of a massive thermal coal mine expansion is "cowardly” and “colossal backtracking” on Canada’s commitments to stop exporting this dirty fossil fuel, says an environmental advocate.

The outsized influence of billionaires in the workings of ailing democracies has struck again.

Canada committed to ending thermal coal exports by 2030, but a massive mine expansion proposed in Alberta’s Rocky Mountains will keep exports trending in the wrong direction.

“Exports of Canadian mined thermal coal have more than tripled and overall thermal coal exports through Canada have almost doubled since 2015,” reads a letter sent to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Oct. 22. It was signed by 36 organizations, including Environmental Defence, Ecojustice and Greenpeace Canada.

Any hope the Liberal Party had that their signature climate policy would cease to be an albatross has been dashed, as allies of the carbon price drop like flies and opponents ramp up attacks. For Liberal strategists, there’s little room left to manoeuvre. 

Canadian MPs are back in the capital and kicked off day one by digging into the climate and financial impacts of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion (TMX).

Over five committee meetings in coming weeks, federal ministers, experts and interest groups will testify about TMX’s impact on Canada’s climate targets, how the cost to taxpayers soared, and government plans to sell TMX.