Liberal climate caucus co-chair says he ‘absolutely’ supports Carney’s policies

OTTAWA — The co-chair of the Liberal climate caucus told the National Post that he “absolutely” supports Prime Minister Mark Carney’s approach to climate change policy.

Fresh from running a half-marathon dressed at the Parliament’s Peace Tower, Éric St-Pierre has been conspicuously avoiding interviews about the caucus that he co-created to bring climate change issues back to the forefront of the government’s agenda ever since he gave an interview to Radio-Canada revealing the existence of the caucus.

But St-Pierre did not go unnoticed on Monday on Parliament Hill dressed as one of Canada’s most recognizable symbols.

He first stopped to talk about his race. He completed Ottawa’s half-marathon on Sunday in his elaborate six-foot costume in just over two hours. His attire was created by a company in his Montreal riding which designs costumes for Cirque du Soleil among others.

Asked whether he is one of the 14 Liberal MPs who penned a letter to Carney at the end of April to express concerns about environment backsliding, he said: “I won’t answer that.”

Hiding beneath his Peace Tower, he said he “absolutely” supports Carney’s approach to climate change policy — pointing to the government’s “amazing” strategy, its “very robust” strategy on electric vehicles and the methane regulations which he said are “very good.”

On Monday, Carney confirmed the existence of the letter which was sent before he signed an agreement with Alberta to pave the way for a new oil pipeline to the West Coast.

Carney said that in a “healthy caucus,” there is always “an exchange of views.”

“Of course, there’s 160 other members of that caucus,” he noted.

“We have to take decisions that are in the interests of the country, that reflect an agreement with the province of Alberta, the interests of British Columbia, the interests of Indigenous peoples, and also that looks at policy in its totality,” he added.

St-Pierre said the Liberal Party of Canada is indeed a “big tent party” and that with 174 MPs comes “a lot of different opinions.”

“I think we’re a very tolerant party and we’ll have different opinions and different perspectives. I think that’s very healthy for a political party,” he said.

St-Pierre would not say, however, why the climate caucus was meeting that evening to discuss their different opinions on the government’s environmental policies.

He had to run — this time, to Parliament Hill’s first-ever “Power House Day” where MPs of different stripes participated in an all-day fitness marathon to promote a healthy lifestyle.

— With files from Stephanie Taylor

National Post calevesque@postmedia.com

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