But beyond the numbers, there\u2019s another issue. The group meant to guide Canada to net-zero emissions by 2050 is slowly bleeding out, down to five of a potential 15 members.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Those who remain on the Net-Zero Advisory Body have asked Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin, The Hill Times first reported<\/a>, to help them chart a path for the future. They\u2019ve asked the ministry to appoint new members, sort out the group\u2019s budget and meet with them at least every two months.\u00a0<\/p>\n The requests hint at the reason some members say they\u2019ve left the group \u2014 that not only are Canada\u2019s climate targets falling out of reach but that the Carney government has stopped seeking the group\u2019s advice.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n And there\u2019s been plenty to ask about, says Catherine Abreu, one of the group\u2019s original members and the most recent to depart.<\/p>\n For her, the agreement Prime Minister Mark Carney signed in November with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith became the last straw. Under the deal, Ottawa will help that province with the construction of a pipeline that could carry a million barrels of oil each day from Alberta to B.C., where much would be exported to Asia.\u00a0<\/p>\n That agreement prompted Steven Guilbeault, a Liberal cabinet minister and an environment minister under the Trudeau government, to resign from cabinet. Combined with policy changes like the cancelling of the consumer carbon tax and the creation of the One Canadian Economy Act, some environmentalists are also raising concerns.<\/p>\n Abreu says she shares those worries, noting that the focus now seems to be primarily on industrial carbon pricing as an emissions-reduction strategy.<\/p>\n \u201cOver the course of the last decade, the Canadian government produced a healthy ecosystem of policies around climate change so that there was more resilience,\u201d Abreu told What on Earth.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cBut when we have just one policy that’s trying to do all the heavy lifting, it makes it really vulnerable to attack. It makes it really vulnerable to delay. It means that if that policy isn’t working the way that we want it to, there’s nothing else for us to fall back on.\u201d<\/p>\n ‘A little bit of leeway’<\/p>\n Not all of her concerns for the future \u2014 especially those related to industrial carbon pricing \u2014 are shared by her colleague, Michael Bernstein, who remains on the board.\u00a0<\/p>\n Asked about the lack of consultation before the feds announced the deal with Alberta, Bernstein said he’s “willing to give the government a little bit of leeway.”<\/p>\n \u201cI think we are in a very challenging time for our country, a time when the government is rightly focused on economic protection, trade diversification \u2026\u00a0addressing affordability issues for Canadians,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n He noted the trade war with the U.S. understandably dominated much of the government\u2019s early days. \u201cClimate change and climate action has to be a part of that, but it has to be part of that broader mix.\u201d<\/p>\n Bernstein said he doesn\u2019t feel Ottawa has abandoned its commitment to reaching climate targets. Instead, it\u2019s auditing them.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile some of the past policies sounded good on paper, in practice they’re very unlikely to work, because they were costly, they were overlapping,\u201d said Bernstein, who is also president and CEO of the non-profit climate organization Clean Prosperity.<\/p>\n The federal government\u2019s decision to walk back the consumer carbon tax and to gather data on electric vehicle rebates gives it the opportunity to focus on \u201cthe most impactful and most cost-effective policy, which is industrial carbon pricing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n In order for that strategy to be effective, however, he says Ottawa and Alberta\u2019s pipeline deal must set an industrial carbon price high enough to deter emissions and prompt investment in clean energy. He believes that figure should be $130 per tonne.<\/p>\n Rick Smith, head of the research organization Canadian Climate Institute, echoed Bernstein. He says a strong industrial carbon price is a key factor in hitting emissions targets and that recent climate announcements signal the federal government hasn\u2019t abandoned its promises.\u00a0<\/p>\n Smith noted the deal announced last week reducing tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles <\/a>to six per cent, down from 100 per cent.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s going to result in Canadians having more access to affordable electric vehicles,\u201d he said. \u201cFrom our point of view, that’s good news.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"With](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1769331990_34_default.jpg\")
Prime Minister Mark Carney, right, signs an agreement with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith in Calgary on Nov. 27, outlining plans to build a pipeline that would bring bitumen from the oil sands to B.C. (The Canadian Press)A policy audit<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1769331990_346_default.jpg\")
Michael Bernstein is the president and CEO of non-profit Climate Prosperity and is a member of the federal Net-Zero Advisory Board. (Submitted by Michael Bernstein)<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1769331991_295_default.jpg\")
A steam generation unit is shown at Suncor Fort Hills facility in Fort McMurray, Alta. Bernstein and Rick Smith, head of the Canadian Climate Institute, say that setting a strong industrial carbon price is key to cutting emissions. (The Canadian Press)<\/p>\n
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