Steven Guilbeault on Alberta, Ottawa and the climate stakes

This episode of As It Happens features a deep dive into Canada's evolving climate policy, centered on a critical interview with former Environment and Climate Change Minister Stephen Guilbeau. Guilbeau, speaking from Toronto, reflects on the federal government’s Memorandum of Understanding with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, cautioning that weakening the industrial carbon price or sidestepping federal environmental standards could undermine Canada’s climate commitments and deter clean energy investment. He emphasizes the need for the federal government to maintain momentum on carbon pricing, methane regulations, and clean electricity, warning that Alberta’s recent rollback of its own methane rules undermines trust. Despite his resignation from cabinet, Guilbeau remains hopeful that the government will act decisively to ensure the agreement benefits all Canadians, not just Alberta. The episode also covers a range of other stories: the arrest of a 26-year-old Quebec man linked to the extremist online group 764, which promotes nihilism and targets minors; the global fascination with the slow, meditative live stream of Sweden’s moose migration; a Japanese man sentenced to 18 months in prison for posting exhaustive spoilers of the film Godzilla Minus One; and a tribute to Iris Long, a retired chemist who became a pivotal AIDS activist in the 1980s, helping accelerate access to life-saving treatments. Other segments highlight Indigenous health care challenges in Neshkandiga First Nation and a concerning decline in the Pacific grey whale population due to food scarcity and climate change.