Will climate policy survive without pressure?

Liberal Prime Minister Mark Carney is now driving the bus that is the federal government. As he cruises down the road, he’ll encounter Alberta-sized potholes. If he’s anything like previous leaders, he’ll swerve to avoid them. 

The risk is that the oil and gas emissions cap, clean electricity regulations, strong industrial carbon pricing and more could meet the same fate as the consumer carbon price: road kill in the rearview mirror. 

Without independent journalism holding the government to account, it’s more likely that leaders will abandon politically difficult legislation in their attempts to balance competing demands. Throughout the campaign the Liberals and Conservatives talked up more fossil fuel infrastructure as a credible path forward, atmosphere be damned. And for all the talk of how Carney knows climate change well, it’s vital to understand he is also a savvy politician maneuvering for political gain. 

With that in mind, supporting strong journalism is how we can build guardrails around this government. This kind of journalism isn’t optional — it’s essential. And it’s only possible because of supporters like you. Please support Canada’s National Observer by donating to the Climate Solutions Reporting Project. Your support keeps our journalists digging, asking the tough questions, and telling the stories that others won't.

The way I see politics is not that we elect leaders and trust they will honour their promises. Rather, we elect representatives and then the real battle begins in holding them to account. Influences including the direction of the political winds, the onslaught of corporate lobbying, and public pressure are what ultimately drive decisions. 

As attention turns to how this new government will build a more resilient economy, Canada’s National Observer will work day in, day out, to ensure climate change and the necessary energy transition informs the decisions of our elected representatives. 

That will be no easy task. Unfortunately the economy and the environment are still pitted against one another, as if protecting ourselves from the climate crisis is a threat to our standard of living. Already we’re seeing the fossil fuel industry and its political allies attempting to scare this new government into caving on climate policies.t’s against this backdrop your support of strong journalism is more important than ever. 

Since I last wrote to you, we’ve been hard at work uncovering how the fossil fuel industry and the politicians who support it have been trying to exploit the moment to ply the world with more oil and gas while collecting taxpayer dollars.

Among the stories we were the first to report include the Pathways Alliance project poised to be a gigantic money loser without federal subsidies; Canadian fossil fuel companies planning to spend more than $600 billion to explore for new oil and gas while claiming emission reductions would be too expensive; Big Oil’s emerging plans to develop more Atlantic oil and gas by characterizing it as “pipeline-free;” and a series of investigative stories about the federal government’s unwavering support for Trans Mountain — including most recently a major revelation that the latest $20 billion loan wasn’t really a loan as much as it was a multi-billon bailout. 

None of these stories would have been possible without the support of readers like you. 

For a decade, Canada's National Observer has revealed what's really happening – exposing greenwashing, sparking policy change, and delivering the truth about our climate future. As climate facts are erased and disinformation flourishes, our democracy faces a critical threat. Your donation helps produce and preserve the information Canadians need. Help us raise $150,000 by May 22 to keep the Climate Solutions Reporting Project going strong.