While Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has rightly been criticized for going overboard with climate activism zealotry, Environment and Climate Change Minister Steven Guilbeauilt’s latest remarks on climate, electric vehicles, and public roads are on a totally different level.
As Calgary Herald columnist Don Braid put it, Guilbeault’s remarks are “so far out on the crazy edge of climate activism that it was easy to confuse his own Twitter account with the one that parodies him every day.”
A few days ago, Guilbeault announced at an event that he would deny federal funding for any new roads across the country.
“There will be no more envelopes from the federal government to enlarge the road network,” he said. “We can very well achieve our goals of economic, social, and human development without more enlargement of the road network.”
He went on to add that money previously spent on roads would have been “better invested into projects that will help fight climate change and adapt to its impacts.” He stressed the need to get people out of vehicles and into public strategy. The reaction to these shocking comments was swift and fierce—and not just from social media and pundits.
“I’m gobsmacked,” wrote Ontario Premier Doug Ford. “He doesn’t care that you’re stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic. I do. We’re building roads and highways, with or without a cent from the feds.”
Canada’s population is growing. In urban areas, it’s growing faster than our infrastructure can handle. We need to catch up in providing basic services. We need more of everything and that very much includes roads and highways.
Public transportation is part of the solution, but we can’t build it fast enough. For example, the Eglinton Crosstown LRT project in Toronto is a 14 year boondoggle that’s gone massively over schedule and budget.
The idea that we can put all of our eggs in one basket is just folly. Besides, there are many growing small communities across Canada that need more roads. If we want to deal with the housing crisis, we need small roads for those suburban and rural housing developments and arterial roads and highways to allow those residents to get around.
Guilbeault tried to walk back the remarks after public outcry. He offered a clarification on Feb. 14 that what he meant was there would no longer be federal funding for “large projects.”
How is that any better? We will need new roads of all sizes, ranging from dirt side roads to highways. It’s a problem if the feds attempt to discourage provinces from constructing large roads. They should be willing partners in such infrastructure projects.
As if this all isn’t bad enough though, things went further downhill. Guilbeault, at the same conference, weighed in against the significant benefits of electric cars.
No, that’s not a typo. Yes, the federal minister who wants to mandate the sale of electric vehicles is now also critiquing EVs.
Guilbeault warned that believing EVs will have a significant influence on curtailing climate change is “an error, a false utopia that will let us down over the long run.” He added: “We must stop thinking that electric cars will solve all our problems.”
This is beyond maddening. That’s what the rest of us have been trying to tell Guilbeault for years. He’s one of the only people in government who wrongly thought EVs were the magic beans answer in the first place. He’s the one who wants to make it illegal to purchase a gas-powered vehicle by 2035.
It’s clear that we can’t be taking the minister’s remarks or policies seriously.
The EV sales mandate clearly isn’t a real thing. Just ignore it. It’ll be gone shortly, either by Pierre Poilievre coming to power and removing it or by the Liberals ghosting away from it. None of this is serious talk.
When Canadians wondered why it was that Trudeau appointed a prankster to cabinet who was previously known for being led away by police for illegal climate activism, we now know the question answers itself. It’s all a prank.
