"People need to have confidence in our processes in a society like ours," Guilbeault said this week. "And if people don't have trust in our processes, what's going to happen is exactly what happened under prime minister Harper.... Local communities, Indigenous organizations, environmental groups are going to turn to the tribunals because they won't trust the process and we will end up in the same situation where those projects … will be bogged down in litigations, in local opposition and in some instances maybe national opposition, and we won't be able to achieve the goals that we've set for ourselves."
There's a part of me that suspects this may be the end goal anyway. With the America-Israel-Iran conflict resulting in the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, and the shift to multi-polarity, there's a path forward to a future of renewables and EVs. I certainly imagine that the Americans wished they could have stayed in that race long enough to bring mass produced EVs of their own, but we all see where they're headed. With experts projecting $100+ per barrel oil into the foreseeable future, this will bring pain to the world, and Canada is not spared.
The US certainly will remain a dominant player. But even its currency has seen better days, and no longer has the same unquestioned status as a global currency. As news broke out early May 2026 that the US debt has climbed over its GDP, the world is on notice that the Americans may not be the most reliable partner any longer. Americans should be rightly concerned that their current President has racked up trillions of dollars of debt within just 1.5 years of his term.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-debt-exceeds-gdp-first-time-since-wwii/
But that only confirms from the Canadian point of view that the US has been a rusted hulk of its former self, and they're actually dragging us. Just five minutes reading headlines about Stellantis' deals with the Canadian government should tell Canadians enough about the wrangling happening behind the scenes.
By cutting away any regulatory "red tape" as it were, Canada can satisfy some of the traditional polluters in the Oil and Gas sectors while still opening the door for renewables and Chinese EVs to enter the market further. Countries around the world have Chinese EVs available for their own markets, and the push away from fossil fuels for residential use is seen as a priority. EV battery technology has advanced to the point where they're safer and long lasting. Bonus, the Japanese have figured out methods to recycle up to 90% of used batteries. Without meaningful partnerships with Chinese automakers, there's no way Canadian car manufacturing can remain competitive while not getting completely wiped out by the Americans.
https://tech.yahoo.com/science/articles/japan-achieves-90-lithium-recovery-164753425.html
By opening the door to the Chinese automakers, Canada can put some pressure on even the Japanese automakers to get their act together or else.
We've also seen Alberta trip itself on its own two feet satisfying the Oil and Gas lobby and its minority extremist separatists. Both groups probably fell on their faces for failing to properly consult with First Nations properly.
How this looks for the environment front? Guilbeault basically spells it out for anyone who cares to listen: Don't threaten him with a good time.