In a closely watched election shaped by economic anxiety, Canadians have elected a Liberal government led by Mark Carney. A former central banker, Carney reportedly campaigned as a steady hand in the storm.
Observers insist that he must now act with urgency on the defining crisis of our time.
While voters didn’t elect a far-right government, the Conservatives presumably gained ground in many parts of the country and secured their highest vote share since 1988. The social democratic NDP lost party status and, with it, some of Parliament’s strongest climate champions.
Carney will be forming a minority government, so he will need creativity and compromise to govern, according to industry watchers.
They added that, without a strong progressive flank in government, sustained public pressure will be all the more important to ensure the new administration delivers the decisive climate action needed.
In a reaction, Amara Possian, Canada Team Lead at 350.org, submitted: “Like millions across Canada, I breathed a sigh of relief last night. We stopped a Conservative Pierre Poilievre government, but the fight for Canada’s future is far from over. Prime Minister Mark Carney says ‘We will need to think big and act bigger. We will need to do things previously thought impossible at speeds we haven’t seen in generations.’ That starts with leaving fossil fuel nostalgia behind and building a clean energy future that protects people and the planet from far-right chaos.
“Carney talks of urgency, but still nods to ‘conventional energy,’ which is code for oil and gas pipelines and false solutions. Canada has spent too long talking a big game about renewables while propping up the fossil fuel industry. That approach has wasted time, public money, and public trust. Real climate leadership means ending fossil fuel expansion, not appeasing fossil fuel interests.
“Thanks to grassroots pressure, the Liberals committed to an East-West electricity grid in their election platform. Now we need to ensure that Carney follows through in a way that centers workers, Indigenous communities, and the public good over corporate profits.
“Carney faces a choice: entrench the status quo or lead Canada into a new era. Canada must cut emissions in half by 2030 and step up globally, supporting countries on the frontlines of climate disaster and leading G7 nations toward stronger, fairer climate action.
“We stopped a far-right government from taking power. But the real work lies ahead as we build a future where our climate is protected and our communities thrive.”