Liberal MP Steven Guilbeault is expected to address members of Parliament on Wednesday.Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press
Former Liberal minister and career environmentalist Steven Guilbeault is expected to announce he is leaving Prime Minister Mark Carney’s caucus as early as Wednesday, two Liberal sources told The Globe and Mail.
The sources said that they expect Mr. Guilbeault will also quit as a member of Parliament, though one of them cautioned that plan could still change.
Three other sources said Mr. Guilbeault is expected to address Parliament on Wednesday afternoon. One of those sources said Mr. Guilbeault has also scheduled a gathering with current and former staff after his speech in the House of Commons.
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The Globe and Mail is not identifying the sources, who were not authorized to discuss the confidential plans.
Mr. Guilbeault has already previously resigned from Mr. Carney’s cabinet over his disagreement with the government’s energy accord with Alberta and its dismantling of marquee climate policies from the Trudeau era.
Mr. Guilbeault’s office declined to comment on Tuesday. His expected exit was first reported by CTV News.
The Prime Minister’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. On his way into cabinet on Tuesday morning, Mr. Carney did not reply when asked by The Globe if Mr. Guilbeault was going to quit.
Expectations that he would break entirely with the Liberals have ramped up in recent weeks, as Mr. Carney solidified his agreement with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith to clear the way for a new oil pipeline to the West Coast and overhaul and speed up environmental assessments.
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Mr. Guilbeault is a polarizing figure. He is widely vilified in the Prairie provinces over his opposition to the oil industry but revered in Quebec. He was considered a star recruit when he agreed to run for then-prime minister Justin Trudeau in 2019.
Mr. Guilbeault’s departure from the Liberal caucus wouldn’t change the balance of power in the House, but it would weaken the already-thin majority that Mr. Carney obtained through floor-crossings and by-elections that were held in April.
At the time of the 2019 election, climate and environment issues were a top priority for voters and the government, but the pendulum has decisively swung away from that issue with a renewed focus on the economy and affordability.
Since coming to office, Mr. Carney has undone several Trudeau-era climate policies. He cancelled the consumer carbon price, scrapped the emissions cap on the oil and gas sector, repealed the electric vehicles mandate, and shuttered a program to plant two billion trees.