Trudeau Picks Ex-Greenpeace Activist As Climate Chief, Angering Oil Patch

"Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a post-election overhaul of his government on Tuesday, naming a former Greenpeace activist dubbed “Green Jesus” as environment and climate change minister in a move that has caused consternation in the country’s oil-rich west.

The appointment, just days out from a United Nations climate summit, known as COP26, in Glasgow, Scotland, suggests Trudeau — who had previously offered support for the country’s oil and gas industry while also implementing measures such as a carbon tax — is coming down firmly on the side of climate action.

Steven Guilbeault, the new minister, worked for environment advocacy groups including Greenpeace for more than a decade before entering politics. Guilbeault, nicknamed the “Green Jesus of Montreal” by Quebec newspaper La Presse, once scaled Toronto’s CN Tower to unveil a banner that denounced Canada and then-President George W. Bush as “climate killers.”"

Rachel Pannett reports for the Washington Post October 27, 2021.

Source: Washington Post, 10/28/2021