Abby Shin

Announced yesterday morning, Mark Carney’s new Ministry will include new Minster of Environment and Climate Change, Julie Dabrusin, and new Minister of Natural Resources and Energy, Tim Hodgson.

Let me preface this by saying there are many changes to the Cabinet that will impact environment and climate related policy. This post will focus on these two new Ministers and what they may bring to Canada. Which, at first glance, is yet another confusing pro-environment, pro-conventional energy signal from Carney.

Background

Minister of Environment and Climate Change

The Minister of Environment and Climate Change leads Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), oversees the activities of portfolio organizations Parks Canada and Impact Assessment Agency of Canada, and works closely with other government organizations such as Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Transport Canada, Natural Resources Canada, the Canadian Energy Regulator, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, Public Safety, and Finance. They also collaborate with provincial, territorial, and municipal governments as well as Indigenous Peoples. Portfolio responsibilities span across around 30 federal Acts and associated regulations, such as the Department of Environment Act, Canadian Environmental Protections Act, Impact Assessment Act, Species at Risk Act, Federal Sustainable Development Act, and more. Specific responsibilities overseen by the Minister of Environment and Climate Change include but are not limited to:

• Canada’s targets under international treaties such as the Paris Agreement, Montreal-Kunming Global Biodiversity Framework, Montreal Protocol, Kyoto Protocol, Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), etc.
• Maintaining national parks, conservation areas, marine conservation areas, historic sights, World Heritage Sites, etc.
• Provision of environmental impact assessments and coordination of Crown Indigenous consultation of major projects.
• Addressing and monitoring terrestrial, air, and water pollution.
• Protecting species at risk and maintaining their ecosystems.
• Conservation and study of wildlife and creation of National Wildlife Areas.
• Developing and administering the Federal Sustainable Development Strategy.
• Much, much more.

Minister of Natural Resources and Energy

The Minister of Natural Resources and Energy leads Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) and oversees the federal government’s natural resources portfolio, which includes  the Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) (Crown Corporation), the Canada Energy Regulator (CER) and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) (independent regulators), the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board (CNLOPB) and the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Energy Regulator (CNSOER) (offshore boards), along with the Energy Supplies Allocation Board (ESAB) and the Northern Pipeline Agency (NPA) (which report to the Minister as required). Specific actions overseen by the Minister of Natural Resources and Energy include but are not limited to:

• Energy sources, extraction, infrastructure, and distribution (oil, gas, renewables, alternatives, electricity, nuclear, uranium).
• Energy efficiency for homes, buildings, transportation, products, etc.
• Minerals and mining (exploration, innovation, production, etc.).
• Forests and forestry (sustainability, trade, wildfire, insects, etc.).
• Climate change (impacts, adaptation, infrastructure, emissions reductions, etc.).
• Indigenous Peoples collaboration in resource management.
• Much, much more.

Julie Dabrusin

Julie Aviva Dabrusin is the Liberal MP for the Toronto-Danforth riding in Ontario. Prior to her time in government, Dabrusin was a lawyer by trade. Having received her BA in Near and Middle Eastern Studies from McGill University then her LLB from the University of Toronto. She was first elected as MP in 2015 and had long been involved in leading community initiatives which addressed food insecurity and enhanced local greenspaces. She served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage from 2019 to 2021. Dabrusin’s environmental background largely comes from her role as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources and Minister and Environment and Climate Change, which she served as from 2021 to 2025. In this role, she supported the work of Jonathan Wilkinson and Steven Guilbeault, respectively. She also briefly worked under Terry Duguid, who was Minister of Environment and Climate Change under Carney’s pre-election government.

In her time in government, she advocated for many sustainability- and environment-related policies and initiatives. Including support for creative industries, a national school food program, healthy foods programs, sustainable agriculture, modernizing the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, banning single-use plastics, circular economy policies, pricing carbon pollution, public transit and cycling infrastructure. Particularly of note, Dabrusin has also been a staunch advocate against oil sands expansion and for the transition away from fossil fuels towards a low-carbon economy.

All in all, Dabrusin’s career points toward a Minister of Environment and Climate Change that understands the community and national precedent of environmental protection and climate progress. It is also promising that Dabrusin has been a leading voice against fossil fuel expansion, plastics pollution, and linear economies. On a personal note, Dabrusin is the MP for the riding directly next to mine, and all I have heard about her is positive things.

Tim Hodgson

Contrastingly to Dabrusin, Tim Hodgson comes from a corporate, Bay Street background. He has a B.Com from University of Manitoba and an MBA from Western University. Prior to his recent role as Ontario’s Markham-Thornhill MP, Hodgson was chairperson of Hydro One Limited and the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization. He has also served on the Boards of the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, the Property and Casualty Insurance Compensation Corporation, Qohash Inc, Dialogue Health Technologies, PSP Investments, Sagicor Financial Corporation, MEG Energy, and more. Hodgson worked closely with Mark Carney, serving as Carney’s Special Advisor when he was Governor of the Bank of Canada. He was also notably the Chief Executive Officer of Goldman Sachs Canada Inc. from 2005 to 2010.

As he was first elected as MP this year, Hodgson does not have any official political resume to speak of. However his career points towards support for conventional energy development and a more centrist, capitalist mandate for natural resource extraction. As a banker and businessman, Hodgson will also likely be against government red tape and an advocate for private businesses – such as those which run Canada’s oil and gas industry.

Alberta Reacts

I have always found Alberta’s reactions a good way to gauge the environmental friendliness or harmfulness of political phenomena. As strong proponents for fossil fuel expansion and against climate progress, environmental protection, and pollution prevention, Danielle Smith’s government often reflects the general opinions of those limiting Canada’s sustainability progress.

Good news for environmentalists, Smith was very concerned about Dabrusin’s appointment to Environment Minister. Stating that it forecasts even more federal opposition to the oil and gas industry, and more climate-related barriers to conventional energy expansion:

“I am very concerned the prime minister has appointed what appears to be yet another anti-oil and gas environment minister, … Not only is (Dabrusin) a self-proclaimed architect of the designation of plastics as toxic, but she is a staunch advocate against oil sands expansion (and) proponent of phasing out oil and gas(.)” – Danielle Smith.

Unfortunately, but unsurprisingly, Alberta’s energy sector was pleased with Tim Hodgson’s appointment to Minister of Natural Resources and Energy. With multiple high-level energy advocates praising Hodgson’s seeming allegiance to fossil fuels:

“I think we’re going to have a reset on our relationship with Ottawa, and I’m optimistic about the future,”- Brian Jean, Alberta Energy Minister

“A great pick. A sigh of relief from energy sector and Alberta,” – Heather Exner-Pirot, director of natural resources, energy and environment at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute

“He understands the industry. He understands the challenges, quite frankly. He would have understood the difficulties that the oil and gas sector encountered with the federal government over the past 10 years,” – Adam Legge, president of the Business Council of Alberta.

Final Thoughts

All in all, appointing Julie Dabrusin and Tim Hodgson is an apt manifestation and representation of Carney’s conflicting support for fossil fuel empowerment and the energy transition. I worry that Dabrusin was appointed to distract from a pro-conventional energy, centrist approach to resource extraction from Hodgson. On the other hand, the same thing could be said for Hodgson’s appointment – that it was merely to keep pro-fossil fuel politicians happy. However the pessimist in me highly doubts the latter. Either way, we must pay close attention to how these new Cabinet ministers approach and collaborate on the climate and biodiversity crises.

Works Cited

Dryden, J. (May 13, 2025). Carney cabinet picks draw quick praise and scorn in Alberta. CBC News. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/eleanor-olszewski-mark-carney-danielle-smith-alberta-1.7533832

Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC). (Dec 19, 2020). Portfolio and mandate of the Minister of the Environment. Government of Canada. https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/corporate/transparency/briefing/portfolio-mandate-minister-environment.html

Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC). (June 14, 2017). Acts administered by Environment and Climate Change Canada. Government of Canada. https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/corporate/transparency/acts-regulations/acts-administered.html#toc2

House of Commons. (2025). Roles – Hon. Julie Dabrusin. https://www.ourcommons.ca/members/en/julie-dabrusin(88994)/roles

Johson, L. (May 13, 2025). Alberta premier says Carney’s pick for new federal environment minister has her ‘very concerned’. Global News. https://globalnews.ca/news/11178050/alberta-premier-chief-of-staff-julie-dabrusin-environment/

Liberal Party of Canada. (2025a). Jule Dabrusin Biography. https://juliedabrusin.liberal.ca/biography/

Liberal Party of Canada. (2025b). Tim Hodgson Biography. https://timhodgson.liberal.ca/biography/

Natural Resources Canada. (April 24, 2025). The Natural Resources Portfolio. Government of Canada. https://natural-resources.canada.ca/corporate/natural-resources-portfolio

Natural Resources Canada. (May 14, 2025). Natural Resources Canada. Government of Canada. https://natural-resources.canada.ca/ Wilson, J. (May 13, 2025). ‘I’m optimistic’: Alberta’s energy minister reacts to federal counterpart’s appointment. CTV News. https://www.ctvnews.ca/calgary/article/im-optimistic-albertas-energy-minister-reacts-to-federal-counterparts-appointment/