Poilievre Says Guilbeault Is a Threat to National Unity After Pipeline Comments
Ottawa, Canada - In a scathing attack on Liberal cabinet minister Steven Guilbeault, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said Thursday that the minister poses an imminent danger to Confederation, one day after Guilbeault's off-the-cuff comments on pipelines sparked a firestorm in Alberta.
When asked by reporters if Guilbeault was a threat to national unity in his current role as Minister of Canadian Identity and Quebec Lieutenant, Poilievre replied, "Yes, he is. Absolutely."
"I just find it astonishing that (Prime Minister Mark) Carney would appoint a man who says that we don't need any pipelines built," said Poilievre.
Guilbeault's comments on the Trans Mountain Expansion Project (TMX), which he claimed was only at "about 40 per cent capacity" when in reality it has been consistently running between 76 per cent and 86 per cent capacity since its opening in May 2024, have sparked widespread criticism from politicians and industry experts alike.
"He wants to block road construction, he's against nuclear power, he's against all forms of economic development," Poilievre said, highlighting Guilbeault's anti-development worldview as a major concern for the country.
Guilbeault had also stated that demand for oil would peak within the next few years, both in Canada and globally. However, this claim has been met with skepticism from many experts, who argue that the world's energy demands will continue to grow in the coming decades.
"His anti-development worldview is bad for the entire country," Poilievre added. "And especially antagonistic to... resource-producing provinces like Saskatchewan and Alberta."
These comments have resonated with many in the two Prairie provinces, who feel that they have been mistreated by the Liberals over their decade in power.
"Many in Saskatchewan and Alberta rightly feel that they have been mistreated," Poilievre said. "And Albertans have a lot of legitimate grievances towards Ottawa, after a decade of Liberal attacks on Alberta's oil and gas industry."
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has also weighed in on the issue, stating that she will put a citizen-led question on Alberta independence on next year's referendum ballot, if the question reaches the threshold of signatures set in Alberta's law on citizens' initiatives.
"This is just another example of how misleading and destructive this former environment minister was to Alberta's and Canada's economy and investment climate," wrote Smith on social media.
Guilbeault was appointed by Carney as Minister of Canadian Identity and Quebec Lieutenant in March, after serving as environment minister for three years under Justin Trudeau.
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He was easily re-elected in his Montreal-area riding, beating NDP challenger Nimâ Machouf by a 33-point margin.
This is just another example of how misleading and destructive this former environment minister was to Alberta's and Canada's economy and investment climate," wrote Smith on social media. "Carney says he’s willing to approve the construction of a new pipeline if a national consensus emerges for one. Get more deep-dive National Post political coverage and analysis in your inbox with the Political Hack newsletter, where Ottawa bureau chief Stuart Thomson and political analyst Tasha Alexander bring you the inside scoop on Canadian politics. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.