Trudeau and Carney both missed chances for climate leadership

The Liberal leaders’ record reveals they valued economic gain more than climate safety for current and future generations.

Then-prime minister Justin Trudeau, left, failed in meeting key climate targets despite his lofty promises, while his successor, Mark Carney, abandoned Liberal climate policies for political gain even before being elected in 2025, writes Bill Henderson. The Hill Times photographs by Andrew Meade, Aidan Raynor

Opinion

BY BILL HENDERSON

July 16, 2026

GIBSONS, B.C.—A decade ago, at the time of the Paris Agreement, a new Liberal prime minister promised that Canada would be a climate leader. With a majority government in hand, Justin Trudeau was fresh and had a mandate for climate action.

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