Amy Hamm: At least Guilbeault has principles — most Liberals don’t

Member of Parliament Steven Guilbeault walks to a Liberal caucus meeting on Parliament Hill in Ottawa May 27, 2026. Photo by Blair Gable/Postmedia

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This week, Liberal MP and former environment minister and ex-Greenpeace activist Steven Guilbeault proved he’s capable of protest that doesn’t involve scaling the CN tower or chaining himself to oil sands equipment.

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The Quebec MP announced his forthcoming resignation from the House of Commons, days after the CBC broke the news that 14 Liberal MPs (whom the CBC won’t name — but undoubtedly includes Guilbeault) penned a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney, calling him out for allegedly reneging on the party’s environmental commitments. The letter insists that “climate change is the greatest threat of our time,” which certainly sounds as though it was penned by Guilbeault.

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I have to say it: I can respect a man with principles.

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Guilbeault has been a vocal critic of Carney for months. Back in December 2025, he published a La Presse op-ed that railed against the memorandum of understanding (MOU), regarding a potential Alberta pipeline to the West Coast, signed by both Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith.

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In a direct dig at Carney, he called the MOU “ephemeral,” a mild insubordination that, by my estimate, few cabinet (or former cabinet) level MPs would dare, unless they were willing to put their job on the line. Guilbeault clearly was.

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In his May 27 resignation letter, posted to social media, Guilbeault wrote that he plans to “pursue (his) fight for environmental protection and the fight against climate change in a different way.”

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Will he go back to climbing trees and scaling buildings? Will he join forces with Green MP and party leader Elizabeth May and attempt to bring the Greens official party status in the House? The latter seems more feasible (the attempt, that is—not the official party status bit).

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Guilbeault’s resignation will, I hope, inspire other Liberal MPs to get back to their principles.

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The Liberal Party, especially under Carney, has been operating as though their main objective is power for power’s sake. They’ve had no qualms embracing Conservative floor-crossers who espoused social conservative values five minutes before switching teams, for instance, and they’ll deflate the opposition by adopting Conservative-lite policies, such as Carney’s elimination of the consumer carbon tax, in the lead up to the 2025 federal election. Official Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre has more than once professed that he accepts having his policies “stolen” by Carney’s Liberals — because he ultimately wants what is best for Canada, and Canadians.

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I cannot say the same about most Liberals, who reside in a tent that might soon be visible from the International Space Station. There seems to be something on offer for any elected official — no matter their political stripes — who wants to come inside. But, as Guilbeault pointed out, if you read the fine print, you’ll see that what’s really on offer is “ephemeral,” or diluted. In the case of the Canada-Alberta MOU, what was really needed, rather than added layers of red tape with mere potential for a far-off project, was a repeal of the Liberal anti-pipeline Bill C-69. Ultimately, no one got what they wanted out of the MOU.

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The Carney Liberal attempt to please everyone, for the sake of clinging to power, should wind up pleasing no one. That would be the case, at least inside of the party, if the Liberals prioritized their principles. Most of them don’t.

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Guilbeault was an exception. Perhaps he did originally join forces with the Liberal Party — rather than the Greens — in order to have a real chance at power. (He certainly accomplished more inside of the government than he did in his former career as an activist.) But at least he drew a line in the sand.

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Respect, Guilbeault.

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National Post

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