In a move that has stunned environmentalists, Green Party co-leader Jonathan Pedneault declared in a recent primetime Radio-Canada interview that the party would not support reinstating the federal carbon tax—a reversal from what has long been considered a foundational Green Party policy.
“We want to shift the burden onto the polluters first and foremost and ensure that the government helps Canadians make the right choices,” Pedneault said, arguing that carbon taxes place unfair costs on individuals. “It’s not by taxing people that we’re going to make this happen.”
Jonathan Pedneault
Pedneault’s comments come just weeks after Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the repeal of the federal carbon tax. Until now, the Green Party had stood apart from Liberals and Conservatives by consistently defending carbon pricing as a necessary climate tool.
In fact, just three days prior to Pedneault’s comments, his co-leader Elizabeth May issued a blistering press release condemning the NDP for cancelling the carbon tax in British Columbia. May accused the provincial NDP of returning to their “Axe the Tax” roots, calling it a “disappointing regression” that undermines the fight against climate change.
“Gordon Campbell recognized the urgency of the climate crisis,” May wrote, praising the former BC Liberal premier who first introduced the province’s carbon tax. “We urge all British Columbians to voice their concerns regarding this critical decision that jeopardizes the province’s environmental future.”
Elizabeth May
In that very release, May blasted NDP leader Jagmeet Singh for voting with Conservatives against the carbon tax in Parliament, and accused the federal NDP of failing to show leadership on climate action.
That makes Pedneault’s comments even more surprising—and contradictory. While May was attacking the NDP for abandoning carbon pricing, her co-leader was doing the exact same on national television.
Green Party of Quebec leader Alex Tyrrell didn’t mince words in response:
“This massive policy reversal is a big disappointment to environmentalists across the country. This was one of the only successful economic measures designed to reduce emissions that canada has implemented. The role of the Green Party is to stand up for the environment, not to mirror Neo-Liberal and Conservative policies.”
Alex Tyrrell
The Green Party’s commitment to carbon pricing has historically been unwavering. Elizabeth May was a leading advocate for it during her early years in Parliament, and the policy has been central to every Green platform since.
For many environmentalists and longtime Green supporters, the carbon tax was one of the few bright spots in Canadian climate policy—an approach rooted in the principle that “polluters pay.” That a Green Party leader would now describe it as unfair to individuals marks a stark departure from past messaging.
Pedneault did reiterate the Greens’ opposition to fossil fuel subsidies and support for a cap on oil production, but his framing of the carbon tax as a burden on everyday Canadians closely resembles recent Liberal and Conservative messaging.
As climate disasters intensify, and with public trust in mainstream parties wavering, many hoped the Greens would offer a principled alternative. Instead, the party’s leaders appear to be sending mixed signals—condemning the NDP for abandoning carbon pricing, while quietly doing the same.
At a moment when climate leadership is desperately needed, the Greens’ about-face on carbon pricing raises an uncomfortable question: If even they won’t defend it, who will?
