MONTREAL — If now-backbench Liberal MP Steven Guilbeault was looking for sympathy, he won’t find it from four of the five candidates vying to be the next NDP leader.

Edmonton MP Heather McPherson had a blunt assessment when asked in a post-debate scrum about the anti-oil Guilbeault’s decision to

quit Prime Minister Mark Carney’s cabinet

in protest over an agreement with Alberta towards building a new oil pipeline.

“Mr. Guilbeault quit cabinet but he did not quit the (Liberal) party and he did not quit the caucus. If he really believed this was a fundamental problem for him, why didn’t he walk away?” said McPherson.

“This just means he’s not interested in doing the work,” she continued.

Guilbeault, a longtime campaigner for stricter climate policies, announced hours earlier that he would be stepping down as minister of Canadian identity and culture, but would continue to serve as the Liberal MP for the Montreal riding of Laurier—Sainte-Marie. This was after the

prime minister appeared in Calgary with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith to sign a memorandum of understanding.

It said that the two governments would work towards a building a new oil pipeline to the West Coast and Ottawa would suspend controversial “clean energy” regulations advanced by Guilbeault when he was formerly environment minister that would have forced provinces to find other means to generate electricity besides fossil fuels.

McPherson, the lone MP at the debate, didn’t mince words when asked if Guilbeault would be welcome in her caucus.

“I’m quite proud to say that the New Democratic Party does not accept floor-crossers,” said McPherson.

Filmmaker Avi Lewis gave a succinct “No!” when asked whether the NDP should take in Guilbeault.

The third major contender, union leader and former dockworker Rob Ashton, said that the voters in Guilbeault’s riding missed the boat by not choosing NDP candidate Nima Machouf in April’s election.

“Nima would have been fighting for her community. Nima wouldn’t have quit, because Nima’s not a quitter, she’s a fighter,” said Ashton.

The only candidate at the debate who said he’d welcome Guilbeault with open arms was Tony McQuail, an organic farmer and self-described “green progressive.”

“Yes, Today!” said McQuail in French when asked whether he thought the NDP should invite Guilbeault to join the party.

Upstart candidate Tanille Johnston, currently a local official in Vancouver Island, acknowledged that there were several disaffected Liberal MPs on B.C.’s coast, but said the NDP should look elsewhere when recruiting new candidates.

“We just really take a lot of pride in our environment in B.C., and I’m not so sure that reaching out to kind of disenchanted Liberals — because the prime minister decided to sign a (memorandum of understanding) for a pipeline — if they needed to go that far to finally realize ‘maybe this isn’t the party for me’, I’m not so sure that that’s where our relationship should start with the NDP in B.C.,” said Johnston.

Several member of the

Liberals’ B.C. caucus said publicly

in the days leading up to the announcement that they were against reversing the Trudeau-era ban on West Coast oil tanker traffic.

The next NDP debate will coincidentally take place in B.C.’s Lower Mainland in February.

National Post

rmohamed@postmedia.com

Watch the first NDP leadership debate here:

• Guilbeault resigning from cabinet in protest over Carney’s pipeline deal with Alberta
• Carney inks new energy deal with Alberta, paving way to new pipeline and internal dissent

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NDP leadership candidates are taking part in the first official debate of the campaign Thursday evening in Montreal.

There are currently five contenders. Edmonton MP Heather McPherson, documentary filmmaker Avi Lewis and union leader Rob Ashton are considered the frontrunners. Campbell River, B.C., city councillor Tanille Johnston and organic farmer Tony McQuail are also running.

While the debate is taking place in Quebec, only 60 per cent of it will be in French, and the rest in English. The candidates (all anglophones) will also be allowed to wear earpieces to receive an English translation. However, if a candidate answers a French question in English, they will be cut off.

The party’s lone Quebec MP, Alexandre Boulerice, is hosting and will kick off the evening’s agenda with a welcome message.

Watch the 90-minute debate live, below, starting at 7 p.m. ET.

We’re LIVE at 7pm EST! 
Tune in here → https://t.co/oIGNbZHHA5 pic.twitter.com/d773xMH9FP

— NDP (@NDP) November 27, 2025

• Five things to know about NDP’s (mostly) French debate in Montreal
• NDP leadership hopefuls line up to condemn Alberta’s use of notwithstanding clause

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Alberta’s use this month of the notwithstanding clause

to shield three controversial laws from judicial scrutiny has more or less united the chattering classes in outrage.

Even Amnesty International got in on the act

, accusing Alberta of “violat(ing) the spirit of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.”

“This is one of the most consequential actions our government will take during our time in office,”

Premier Danielle Smith said

of limiting “gender-affirming” care, including puberty-blockers and surgery, for children under 16; new parental-notification and -consent rules with respect to children who wish to “socially transition” at school; and limiting female-only sports to participants who were born female.

As ever, it will be interesting to compare the reaction now that

Quebec has redeployed Section 33 in its own culture war

— not against trans rights allegedly run amok, but against the most basic religious freedoms. Among other things, Bill 9, tabled Thursday in the National Assembly, does the following:

• bans prayer in public, without prior authorization;
• bans prayer in private, for example in prayer rooms provided in public institutions such as schools;
• bans students and staff at all levels of public education, including day care, from covering their faces at school — i.e., from wearing the niqab or burqa; and
• bans public institutions from offering only meals “based on a religious precept or tradition” — i.e., halal or kosher food.

And yes, it invokes the notwithstanding clause to protect itself from meddling judges. Somehow, though, that just never seems to be as controversial in the Rest of Canada when Quebec does it. Supporting trans rights is cool in a way that supporting religious rights isn’t.

Double standards aside, Quebec’s new legislation is fundamentally disreputable on several levels. If the province’s efforts to improve secularism have often seemed strangely deferential to Catholicism — the very religion that the Quiet Revolution rejected — Bill 9 privileges the elderly: Long-term care homes, unlike public schools, are exempt from the prayer-room prohibition.

It’s not hard to see why.

According to Statistics Canada’s General Social Survey

, in 2019, 58 per cent of Quebecers born between 1940 and 1959 were “affiliated” with a religion and that their faith was “somewhat or very important” to them. Just 28 per cent of those born between 1980 and 1999 said the same — the lowest in any region. And older people vote.

But the fact it’s easier to target younger Quebecers of faith doesn’t vindicate the effort. Quite the opposite, I would say.

It’s disreputable, too, because when Quebec politicians talk about “religion” in this context, roughly 97 per cent of the time they mean Muslims. (The other three per cent of the time they mean Jews.) Quebecers had every right to be perturbed this summer by

the sight of scores of Muslims praying to Allah with the Notre-Dame Basilica in the background

. That was an unambiguous provocation by the only religion that does that sort of thing in Canada.

If Quebec were honest, it would just make Bill 9 exclusively about Islam and leave the other religions alone. The notwithstanding clause would work just as well.

But that would be too honest, I suspect. Politicians would balk at seeing such specific discrimination laid out in black and white. They would insist on the tatty fig leaf of consistency. And so not only will Muslims who

don’t

protest-pray outside Christian landmarks now lose their spaces for quiet individual prayer, so will everyone else.

There is no reason to believe it will stop here. In provincial politics, there’s really no one to oppose the broader push to limit minority rights, both religious and linguistic. You might hope the Liberals would step up, but leader Pablo Rodriguez has argued (preposterously) that restrictions on civil servants’ attire

brought “social peace” to the province

— so there’s no help there. Plus, having briefly enjoyed a post-leadership bump in the polls, Rodriguez is now mired in

vote-buying allegations

with respect to his leadership campaign. (“What else did you expect from Pablo Rodriguez?” is a reasonable question to put to the party.)

The next obvious step will be to ban the niqab and burqa in all public places. Then attention will turn to the hijab, which students are still allowed to wear — for now. And anglophones and allophones still have lots of rights — maybe too many.

None of this is Ottawa’s doing. Indeed, there may not be anything anyone in Ottawa can say to affect this situation positively. But if federal politicians are going to pick and choose which rights to support and which to ignore, or

where

to support them, then they deserve to be judged just as harshly as the cowards in Quebec City targeting all religions for fear of one.

National Post

cselley@postmedia.com

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Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith signed a memorandum of understanding on Thursday that is aimed at “establishing Canada as a global energy superpower” and paving the way for a new oil pipeline. The pact will suspend clean electricity regulations in Alberta in exchange for an extension of Alberta’s industrial carbon pricing program. It also commits Carney’s government to considering an “adjustment” to the federal oil tanker ban off British Columbia’s coast.

Guilbeault reflecting on future, as Carney inks deal considering ‘adjustment’ to oil tanker ban for new Alberta pipeline

“In the face of global trade shifts and profound uncertainty, Canada and Alberta are striking a new partnership to build a stronger, more sustainable, and more independent Albertan and Canadian economy,” Carney said in a statement. “We will make Canada an energy superpower, drive down our emissions and diversify our export markets. We want to build big things, and we’re building bigger and faster together.” Read the full text of the memorandum of understanding, below.

Canada-Alberta Memorandum of Understanding

PREFACE

At this pivotal global moment, Canada and Alberta, working closely with Indigenous Peoples and industry, must work together cooperatively, and within their respective jurisdictions, to foster the conditions necessary for infrastructure, including pipelines, rail, power generation, a strong and integrated transmission grid, ports and other means that will unlock and grow natural resource production and transportation in Western Canada. As a result, Canada will be able to reach its international export goals and develop new technologies including Artificial Intelligence (AI), and, through innovation and intergovernmental cooperation, be a source of clean energy to lower global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

WHEREAS

• Canada and Alberta remain committed to achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050;
• Alberta and Canada will work together to achieve the shared objective of establishing Canada as a global energy superpower, unlocking the growth potential of Western Canada’s oil and gas (including liquified natural gas (LNG)), renewable energy, critical minerals, and other resources that the world needs;
• Alberta and Canada recognize their obligations to consult with, and where appropriate accommodate, Indigenous Peoples; and
• Canada and Alberta are committed to respecting Aboriginal and Treaty rights, engaging in early, consistent, and meaningful consultation with Indigenous Peoples, in a manner that promotes reconciliation, and respects the rights and cultures of Indigenous Peoples while advancing economic opportunities through Indigenous ownership and partnerships.

THE OBJECTIVES

The Governments of Canada and Alberta are focused on achieving the following objectives and have developed the following clear actions towards this goal:

• Increasing production of Alberta oil and gas to reach Canada’s export and national security goals, creating hundreds of thousands of new jobs, while simultaneously reaching carbon neutrality by, in part, reducing the emissions intensity of Canadian heavy oil production to best in class in terms of the average for heavy oil by 2050.
• Increasing electrical generation for consumer and industrial use on Alberta’s electricity grid, including meeting the needs of AI data centres, while simultaneously reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions for the electricity sector by 2050.
• Creating electricity and energy policies that address consumer affordability, electricity grid stability, economic competitiveness and long-term competitive certainty, that attract Canadian and foreign sources of private sector capital investment.
• Reducing layers of regulatory overlap and simplifying regulatory systems to ensure a maximum 2-year timeframe for permitting and approvals with the goal of shorter project approval timelines where feasible.
• Providing meaningful opportunity for Indigenous rightsholders to participate in consultation processes and economic opportunities through Indigenous ownership, partnerships and benefits.

THE PROJECTS

• Construction of one or more private sector constructed and financed pipelines, with Indigenous Peoples co-ownership and economic benefits, with at least one million barrels a day of low emission Alberta bitumen with a route that increases export access to Asian markets as a priority. The application for this pipeline project will be ready to submit to the Major Projects Office on or before July 1, 2026. It is agreed this new pipeline would be in addition to the expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline for an additional 300,000 to 400,000 barrels per day destined for Asian markets.
• Construction and financing of the world’s largest carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) project (Pathways) for the purpose of making Alberta oil among the lowest carbon intensity produced barrels of oil in the world.
• Construction of thousands of megawatts of AI computing power, with a large portion dedicated to sovereign cloud for Canada and its allies.
• Construction of large transmission interties with British Columbia and Saskatchewan to strengthen the ability of the western power markets to supply low carbon power to oil, LNG, critical minerals, agricultural, data centres and CCUS industries in support of their sustainability goals.

THE COMMITMENTS:

Alberta commits to:

• Act as proponent for advancing the development of a bitumen pipeline to Asian markets, that offers the opportunity for Indigenous co-ownership and other forms of economic benefits, for designation and authorization under the Building Canada Act.
• In consultation with Indigenous leadership, utilize the Alberta Indigenous Opportunities Corporation (AIOC) to help backstop Indigenous co-ownership of the bitumen pipeline project and, if appropriate, Pathways.
• Extend the Alberta Carbon Capture Incentive Program (ACCIP) to support Pathways.
• Foster the development of sequestration permitting, worker training, and the capability for Alberta exports of CCUS-related products and services.
• On or before July 1, 2026, implement a policy framework to incentivize large investments in data centre development, including incentives for Canadian sovereign computing.
• On or before January 1, 2027, collaborate with Canada to develop a nuclear generation strategy to build and operate competitive nuclear power generation that can serve the Alberta and inter-connected markets by 2050.
• Collaborate with Canada to significantly increase the inter-tie transfer capability between the western provinces (with consideration to the northern regions) to build the low carbon generation and transmission grid that supports the growth of low intensity heavy oil, LNG, critical minerals, agriculture, data centres and CCUS industries for export growth and domestic use.
• Collaborate with B.C. to ensure British Columbians share substantial economic and financial benefits of the proposed pipeline.

Canada commits to:

• In consideration for the mutual commitments agreed to in this MOU, Canada will not implement the Oil and Gas Emissions Cap, which has not yet been put into effect.
• Acknowledge Alberta’s approach to regulating heavy electricity generation emitters through Alberta’s Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction (TIER) program for Alberta to provide long-term certainty and time needed by industry and innovators to develop the needed CCUS, direct air capture, nuclear infrastructure and other emissions technologies necessary to achieving a net-zero power grid by 2050.
• Suspend immediately the Clean Electricity Regulations (CER) in Alberta pending a new carbon pricing agreement, which includes the electricity sector, administered through Alberta’s TIER program to be negotiated by the parties on or before April 1, 2026. Upon completion of the new carbon pricing agreement and factoring all other measures to the satisfaction of both parties, Canada will place the CER in Alberta in abeyance.
• Declare that an Alberta bitumen pipeline to Asian markets as a priority, that offers opportunities for Indigenous co-ownership and economic benefits, is a project of national interest and can be referred to the Major Projects Office for consideration of designation under the Building Canada Act.
• Collaborate with Alberta to provide a clear and efficient approval process for the Alberta bitumen pipeline under the Building Canada Act.
• In consultation with Indigenous leadership, utilize Canada Indigenous Loan Guarantee Corporation to help backstop Indigenous co-ownership of the bitumen pipeline project and, if appropriate, Pathways.
• If an Alberta bitumen pipeline is ultimately approved under the Building Canada Act and provides opportunities for Indigenous co-ownership and shared economic benefits, Canada confirms that it will enable the export of bitumen from a strategic deep-water port to Asian markets, including if necessary through an appropriate adjustment to the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act.
• Extend federal ITCs and other policy supports to encourage large scale CCUS investments, including Pathways and enhanced oil recovery in order to provide the certainty needed to attract large additional sources of domestic and foreign capital.
• Work collaboratively with Alberta to design policy supports that enable deployment of nuclear technology, CCUS and energy storage to enable decarbonization of the electricity system, while ensuring its reliability and affordability.
• As outlined in Budget 2025, propose amendments to the Competition Act to remove some of the “greenwashing” provisions that are creating investment uncertainty.
• Undertake to conduct good faith consultations with Alberta on the development and implementation of federal regulatory or policy measures that might impact Alberta industry and the shared goal of making Canada a global energy superpower.

Canada and Alberta together will:

• Canada and Alberta agree to engage with British Columbia immediately in a trilateral discussion on the pipeline project, and during the potential development and construction of the bitumen pipeline referred to in this MOU, and to further the economic interests of B.C. related to their own projects of interest that involve the Province of Alberta including interties. In addition, Canada will work with B.C. on other projects of national interest in their jurisdiction.
• Canada and Alberta also agree to engage meaningfully with Indigenous Peoples in both Alberta and British Columbia on this project, with the involvement of the B.C. Government for engagement with B.C. First Nations.
• Work collaboratively to design and commit to globally competitive, long-term carbon effective prices, carbon levy recycling protocols, and sector-specific stringency factors for large Alberta emitters in both the oil and gas and electricity sectors through Alberta’s TIER system. The TIER system will ramp up to a minimum effective credit price of $130/tonne. The parties will conclude an agreement on industrial carbon pricing on or before April 1, 2026.
• Examples of issues to be addressed in the new agreement include the date for introduction of the effective price and the price increases over time.
• This industrial carbon pricing agreement will include a financial mechanism to ensure both parties maintain their respective commitments over the long term to provide certainty to industry, and to achieve the intended emissions reductions.
• Recognizing Alberta’s jurisdiction over the TIER system, Canada and Alberta agree to work co-operatively to ensure the Alberta carbon market functions reliably and provides a predictable basis for decision-making by industry and investors. This includes a shared undertaking that following the completion of this Memorandum of Understanding, the two governments will work co-operatively to ensure the application of Alberta’s carbon pricing system (including pricing and stringency) is adapted to the specific circumstances of the electricity sector, the oil and gas sector, and other large emitters such as fertilizer and cement sectors.
• Enter into a methane equivalency agreement on or before April 1, 2026, with a 2035 target date and a 75% reduction target relative to 2014 emissions levels.
• Work cooperatively with the Pathways partner companies to develop and enter into a tri-lateral MOU on or before April 1, 2026 for a multi-phased approach to delivering a set of emissions savings projects (the “Phase 1 Pathways Projects”), focused predominantly on carbon capture and storage, solvent-based replacements or other actions taken by Pathways that reduce emissions intensity. The Phase 1 Pathways Projects will be built and commence operations in a staged manner between 2027 and 2040 to achieve committed emissions reductions at date-certain intervals. Canada and Alberta agree this tri-lateral MOU and the approval and commencement of the initial Phase 1 Pathways Projects will be a precondition to the commencement of the approved bitumen pipeline referred to in this MOU.
• Canada and Alberta agree that the approval, commencement and continued construction of the bitumen pipeline is a prerequisite to the Pathways project, including the extension of the Alberta ACCIP Program.
• Canada and Alberta agree that the Pathways Project is also a prerequisite to the approval, commencement and continued construction of the bitumen pipeline, given that the two projects referred to in this MOU are mutually dependent.
• Canada and Alberta agree that in order to hold all parties to account for all phases of the Pathways projects, the trilateral MOU with Pathways must include effective enforcement mechanisms to ensure the completion of all phases of the infrastructure and the associated emissions reductions by the Pathways companies as outlined in the MOU. Such mechanisms could include, but are not limited to, tax and regulatory measures.
• Canada and Alberta agree to work collaboratively, including with other provinces where appropriate, to develop domestic carbon capture supply chains and Canadian steel and pipe production supply chains.
• Negotiate a cooperation agreement on impact assessments on or before April 1, 2026, that reduces duplication through a single assessment process that respects federal and provincial jurisdictions.
• Work cooperatively to streamline the regulatory processes among federal agencies, the Canadian Energy Regulator, the Alberta government and municipalities to achieve a maximum 2-year timeframe for approvals while targeting shorter approval timelines where feasible.
• Work cooperatively with Indigenous parties in Alberta to consult and accommodate on the CO2 pipeline and capture and storage facilities related to Pathways.
• Continue to work together to achieve the objectives set out in this MOU.
• Establish a communications protocol whereas each party must agree to public communications of this MOU and its content prior to information being released.

Implementation Committee:

Canada and Alberta will appoint an Implementation Committee responsible for delivering the following outcomes:

• A carbon pricing equivalency agreement on or before April 1, 2026.
• A methane equivalency agreement on or before April 1, 2026.
• A tri-lateral MOU with the Pathways companies on or before April 1, 2026.
• A cooperation agreement on impact assessments by on or before April 1, 2026.
• Determining the means by which Alberta can submit its pipeline application to the Major Projects Office on or before July 1, 2026.
• Acquiring feedback from the federal government for Alberta’s policy framework for AI data centres which is to be finalized by Alberta on or before July 1, 2026.
• Collaborating with Alberta on the design of Alberta’s nuclear power generation strategy which is to be finalized by Alberta on or before January 1, 2027.

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OTTAWA — As Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith inked a new energy and pipeline pact on Thursday, a government source close to Liberal cabinet minister Steven Guilbeault, a former environment minister, says he is reflecting on his future.

Guilbeault, who currently holds the portfolio of Canadian Identity and Culture, is a long-time climate activist, and the source said he will be taking the time to read his government’s new pact with Alberta in detail before making a decision.

The deal Carney inked with Smith on Thursday in Alberta sees his government agree to suspend clean electricity regulations in the province and commit to consider making an “adjustment” to the federal oil tanker ban off British Columbia’s coast to pave the way for construction of a new oil pipeline.

The concessions from the federal government come in exchange for Alberta strengthening its industrial carbon price.

The commitments, formally outlined in a memorandum of understanding between Carney and Smith, outline the terms of how jurisdictions will work together on energy.

Before the official signing, Carney appeared alongside Smith for a sit-down, where both leaders delivered some opening remarks, with the prime minister calling Thursday “a great day for Canada” as well as a “great day for Alberta.”

Carney touted the deal as a “multifaceted agreement,” saying it sets the stage for an energy transition, “but really sets the stage for an industrial transformation.”

“At the core of the agreement, of course, it’s a priority to have a pipeline to Asia. That’s going to make Canada stronger, more independent, more resilient, more sustainable,” Carney said.

As Carney spent the past few days preparing to ink the new energy pact with Alberta, he has been dealing with some restlessness with his caucus, particularly among his more progressive Liberal MPs and those in B.C.

The source close to Guilbeault, speaking on a not-for-attribution basis because they were not authorized to discuss these matters publicly, said he believes he can be more useful to the climate cause and to Canada by sitting around the cabinet table than stepping down.

“He’s ready to make a lot of compromises,” said the source. “That remains true even today, even when it is more difficult.”

“He wants to be sure to make the right decision,” they added.

Guilbeault had a “long” and “candid” conversation with Carney on Tuesday, according to the source who could not disclose the contents of the conversation.

The document signing has been touted as an important step by both Alberta and Carney’s government to help transform Canada into a “global energy superpower,” as the prime minister promised during the spring federal election campaign. The deal also outlines how both Alberta and Canada “remain committed” to achieving net-zero emissions by 2025.

To do so, the deal spells out a series of projects both jurisdictions agree to collaborate on, including “construction of one or more private sector constructed and financed pipelines,” that would carry “one million barrels a day of low-emission Alberta bitumen” to Asian markets.

It clarifies that the new pipeline project would be in addition to the expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline.

The deal also links a new bitumen pipeline from Alberta to the advancement of a massive carbon capture and storage project in the province, a project Carney and Smith commit to negotiating a trilateral agreement on with the oilsands partner behind the proposal.

In terms of commitments, Smith signed on to work with Ottawa on negotiating a new industrial carbon pricing agreement before April 1, 2026, which would then formalize the suspension of the clean electricity regulations.

The deal spells out that Ottawa would immediately suspend the regulations in exchange for Alberta hiking its industrial carbon price, which it froze earlier this year.

The document also commits Alberta and Ottawa to negotiate on a new methane equivalency agreement before April 2026, which would set a target of reducing methane emissions by 75 per cent below 2014 levels by 2035.

When it comes to the pipeline proposal, which was Smith’s top priority entering into the negotiations, the new deal spells out that her United Conservative Party government would submit a proposal to the federal major projects office by July 1.

Carney committed his government to declaring that the pipeline proposal was a nation-building project, and if ultimately approved under a special cabinet designation, his government “would enable the export of bitumen from a strategic deep-water port to Asian markets, including if necessary through an appropriate adjustment to the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act.

More to come …

National Post

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