Canada Prime Minister Mark Carney shifts focus toward fossil fuels

Since assuming the role of Prime Minister in 2025, Mark Carney has implemented significant shifts in Canada’s environmental policies, moving away from previous green mandates toward energy production. His administration has eliminated the national carbon tax for consumers, abandoned electric vehicle adoption mandates, and discarded planned emission limits for oil and gas producers.

Under Carney’s leadership, Canada has positioned itself as an energy superpower, producing more crude oil last year than any nation except Russia, Saudi Arabia, and the United States. The government has also eased environmental permitting for major infrastructure and supported projects such as the Pacific Link pipeline.

While European Union leaders, including Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, continue to view Carney as a climate ally, environmental groups have criticized the policy reversal. Tim Gray of Environmental Defence described the shift as a decisive move toward the regulatory direction of the United States. In response, the Canadian government maintains it remains committed to reaching net-zero emissions by 2050 through a pragmatic approach, citing investments in clean energy such as the Churchill Falls hydroelectric project.