McKenna Criticizes Canadian Oil Industry at Climate Summit

Former Canadian Environment Minister Catherine McKenna sharply criticized leaders in the country's oil industry during an interview at the Montreal Climate Summit last week, accusing them of increasing greenhouse gas emissions while profiting from global conflicts and demanding public subsidies.

McKenna, who held the environment portfolio from 2015 to 2021, pointed to Canada's official greenhouse gas inventory, released last week, which indicated that oil and gas production was the only sector to see an emissions rise in 2024. She described the industry as largely foreign-owned, particularly by U.S. interests, and argued it was failing to contribute to national climate efforts. "In Canada, we expect, Canadians expect everyone to step up and do their parts," McKenna said. "But instead, we have oil and gas... who aren't doing their part. All they're doing is increasing our emissions and demanding subsidies."

The former minister highlighted how oil sands production has surged more than 900 percent since 1990, according to the inventory. She also noted that Canadian oil companies are generating an additional $170 million in daily profits due to the war in Iran, which has driven...