Carney says he wants Canada to 'dominate the market for conventional energy'

Liberal Leader Mark Carney has said he wants Canada “to dominate the market for conventional energy” while also focusing on green projects.

While making an announcement about his energy policies in Calgary today, the prime minister said that, to achieve his ambition, the oil and gas will have to be “lower carbon” in terms of emissions.

When asked by a reporter to say whether he would, should his party win the election on April 28, do everything he could to build new oil and gas pipelines in Alberta, he did not answer directly.

Instead, he made a general statement about identifying “projects of national interest” and working with premiers and other stakeholders to build new energy corridors.

He added: “I’m from Alberta. I’m direct, and I do things.”

"As the U.S. steps back, it’s time for Canada to lead. We’ve done it before," says Liberal Leader Mark Carney in Calgary as he proposes a plan for conventional & clean energy and critical mineral development.
#cdnpoli #elxn2025 pic.twitter.com/qO6AwOqs9J

— CPAC (@CPAC_TV) April 9, 2025

The prime minister’s response has already drawn criticism from Tory Leader Pierre Poilievre, who wrote on Twitter that Carney was asked “a simple yes or no question.” Poilievre added: “Carney's answer? 498 words. Not one of them was ‘yes.’”

Carney has been accused of adopting a “keep-it-in-the-ground ideology” by the Conservatives, who point to Bill C-69 – which they have nicknamed the “no-new-pipelines law” – and the emissions cap, as well as the industrial side of the carbon tax.

The Green Party of Canada, meanwhile, has in the past accused both the Conservatives and Liberals of subsidizing “Big Oil” instead of backing “clean energy.”

In his announcement today, Carney said Canada has a “tremendous opportunity to be the world’s leading energy superpower.”

That would mean making the most of “both clean and conventional energy,” he explained.

Mark Carney was asked a simple question today by the Calgary Sun's @RickBellwrites:

"You talk about fast-tracking nation-building projects. And can you give a commitment to us that you will do everything in your power to get new oil and gas pipelines and new LNG projects…

— Pierre Poilievre (@PierrePoilievre) April 9, 2025

He added: “We are going to aggressively develop projects that are in the national interest in order to protect Canada’s energy security, diversify our trade, and enhance our long-term competitiveness – all while reducing emissions. We can lead the energy transition while ensuring affordable energy at home and building the strongest economy in the G7.”

His government would invest in critical minerals, he said, and “get clean energy projects built quickly” across the country.

Carney also pledged to guarantee “Canada’s energy and electricity sovereignty.”

He would do that by building an “East-West electricity grid,” promising that the project would amount to a “historic nation-building project.”

It would also mean reducing Canada’s “reliance” on the US, he said.