Canada's prime minister has conceded that the country's greenhouse gas emissions will be higher over the next few years than what was projected under the previous government's plan, as Ottawa moves to position Canada as an energy superpower. The admission came near the end of a roughly 17-minute video he released about Canada's energy future.
In the video, the prime minister argued that the previous plan was not sustainable over the long term. According to him, it would have made things too expensive for Canadians who are already struggling with affordability, and it would have let down international partners who need new sources of energy at a time of global crisis.
He framed the higher emissions as a trade-off necessary to reshape the country's economy, pointing to projects such as a national electricity grid and a pipeline to the west coast. The message signals a clear shift in priorities toward expanding Canada's energy production and export capacity.
On the ground, a west coast pipeline application is moving forward. At the same time, negotiations between British Columbia and the federal government on their own memorandum of understanding, covering a series of other projects, are reportedly close to being wrapped up, with a date around July 2 floated for an announcement.
That parallel deal is said to include projects such as a tunnel replacement in Vancouver, along with clean energy and critical mineral initiatives. The arrangement appears to function as a trade-off, in which the pipeline application advances while British Columbia secures commitments in return.
The direction has drawn criticism from environmentalists, who are unhappy with the pipeline project and with the rollback of environmental policies in the name of restoring Canada's energy-superpower status. The prime minister's acknowledgement that emissions will rise is likely to deepen tensions with the environmental wing of his own party and with climate advocates across the country.