Government adviser slams Mark Carney for promoting ‘decarbonized' oil pipelines

Hamilton Spectator

2 days ago

OTTAWA — The co-chair of the federal government's climate action advisory group is slamming Prime Minister Mark Carney for using fossil fuel 'marketing speak' at Monday's summit with provincial leaders, when he endorsed the idea of building new pipelines for 'decarbonized' oil.
Simon Donner, a climate scientist at the University of British Columbia who co-chairs the Liberal government's Net Zero Advisory Body, alleged the term is misleading because it falsely suggests there is a way to burn fossil fuels without creating greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change.
'There is no such thing as decarbonized oil and gas. Oil contains carbon. It is high school chemistry. And they emit carbon dioxide when they're used,' Donner told the Star.
Prime Minister Mark Carney says there are discussions about building new pipelines to ship what he called decarbonized barrels of oil. But he says the range of the discussion is about more than just pipelines, involving the Western-Arctic corridor to move a broader number of products. (June 3, 2025 / The Canadian Press)
'The government is going to embarrass itself by using such industry and marketing speak.'
Leaving a cabinet meeting on Parliament Hill Tuesday, Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson and Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin ignored questions about what the government means by 'decarbonized' oil.
Carney made the statement at Monday's meeting with the premiers in Saskatoon, where his plan to fast-track development projects 'of national interest' took centre stage. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith — a staunch promoter of the fossil fuel sector who has long opposed federal climate policies like carbon pricing and regulations to limit emissions — said she was encouraged by the new government's approach.
That included what she called a 'compromise' to allow new fossil fuel infrastructure to be built outside the current federal review process, which critics have blamed for blocking projects. Smith also said there was a 'grand bargain,' where the federal government would make it easier for the private sector to build new fossil fuel pipelines, while supporting plans under the 'Pathways Alliance' of oilsands companies to build a huge carbon capture project.
During question period in the House of Commons on Tuesday, Hodgson referred to Smith's comments, describing the 'grand bargain' as a plan to 'build our energy superpower in an … environmentally responsible way, in consultation' with Indigenous Peoples.
'We support new pipelines if there is a national consensus,' Hodgson added.
With billions of dollars in
federal tax credits
on the table, the
Pathways carbon capture project
is meant to reduce emissions from the extraction of fossil fuels, a process that is responsible for the largest share of any economic sector, as measured in Canada's
most recent national tally
of greenhouse gas pollution.
In an emailed statement, Pathways president Kendall Dilling said the group is 'encouraged' by recent signs, including at this week's first ministers' meeting.
'We need every industry, including the oilsands, thriving and making vital contributions to the economy,' Dilling said.
Janetta McKenzie, director of oil and gas at the Pembina Institute, a climate and environmental policy think tank, said Tuesday that it's important for Canada to press to reduce emissions from the production of oil, as greenhouse gas pollution from oil and gas extraction has increased by 70 per cent from 2005 to 2023, according to the national emissions tally.
But with questions about when the Pathways project could come online, McKenzie said policies like carbon pricing and regulations to limit emissions are needed if high levels of production can continue without blowing Canada's effort to hit its emissions targets over the next decade.
'If we do want decarbonized barrels to be moving through this pipeline, there's something missing,' McKenzie said.
The discussion highlights a political tightrope for the federal government on climate and energy policies, with pressure from environmentalists and those concerned about climate change to help the global crisis by reducing emissions, and demands from others to promote Canada's lucrative oil and gas sector. The industry generated $187 billion of economic activity in 2022, when it accounted for 30 per cent of Canada's total exports and employed almost 172,000 people, according to
Natural Resources Canada
.
The government has said it remains committed to fighting climate change, but early signals of support for potential fossil fuel projects have prompted environmentalists to urge Carney to '
pick a lane
' between increased oil production and serious commitment to reducing emissions.
Carney suggested last month that his government could change previous policies like the plan to create a
regulatory cap
to limit and start reducing emissions from the oil and gas sector to at least 19 per cent below 2019 levels between 2030 and 2032.
Carney removed the national requirement for provinces and territories to have a consumer carbon price, while promising to strengthen industrial carbon pricing and other measures to ensure Canada hits its emissions targets.
Canada is responsible for 1.41 per cent of global emissions in 2023, according to
European Union figures
. It has pledged to slash national emissions to 40 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030, and at least 45 per cent below 2005 levels by 2035.
Emissions were 8.5 per cent below 2005 levels in 2023, according to the most recent government tally.