Suzuki says Carney driving Canada ‘into a ditch’ on climate

Suzuki says Carney driving Canada ‘into a ditch’ on climate NICK MURRAY OTTAWA THE CANADIAN PRESS PUBLISHED 57 MINUTES AGO Open this photo in gallery: David Suzuki poses for a portrait in Ottawa on Sept. 21. KEITO NEWMAN/THE CANADIAN PRESS COMMENTS SHARE SAVE FOR LATER Listen to this article Learn more about audio Log in or create a free account to listen to this article. David Suzuki said that when Prime Minister Mark Carney was first elected last year, he celebrated. Having met and interviewed the prime minister before, the national environmentalist icon said he knew Carney understood the challenges of climate change. But in an interview with The Canadian Press, Suzuki said he now feels he was “wilfully blind” to Carney’s promises of action on climate, despite warnings from his longtime friend the late Stephen Lewis, who predicted the agenda of a banker – and now politician – would supersede Carney’s views on addressing climate change. “I don’t see that there’s going to be any deviation from the driving of our country into the ditch,” Suzuki said. He acknowledges that Carney’s actions come as Canadians’ views on climate have shifted to other priorities. “I think that’s because of that disconnect of what are the really basic things are that keep us alive,” he said. For decades, Suzuki brought millions of Canadians into the world of science and nature. From their living rooms, viewers of The Nature of Things could learn about the intersection of humanity and nature and its impact on the planet. Suzuki, 90, retired from hosting the show four years ago, but still wants to talk to Canadians about the environment. This time though, the educational message is tinged with exasperation. Canadians and people around the world have their priorities wrong, he said. “Brazil’s Amazon, the greatest terrestrial ecosystem on the planet, has no economic value until it is logged, mined, dammed, or grows soy, cattle, or houses,” Suzuki said. “So if that doesn’t tell you right there what kind of a f--ked-up system we have, that is exploiting the very things that keep us alive. And we don’t put any value on it.” Canada’s record on battling the greenhouse gas emissions driving climate change has been spotty. The federal government has committed to multiple different targets since 1990 and despite implementing dozens of new policies to cut emissions, it has never met any of its targets. Since taking office in March, 2025, Prime Minister Mark Carney has pushed…