Nature Can’t Afford the Banker weighs Prime Minister Carney’s decisions against his past climate values and current economic research

For Immediate Release — March 19, 2026

WINNIPEG / TREATY 1 TERRITORY AND HOMELAND OF THE MÉTIS NATION  — A report released today by the Wilderness Committee shows nature and climate budget decisions made by Prime Minister Mark Carney's government go against the guidance of economic experts.

“Report after report from leading economic organizations say fund nature and act on climate, but that's not what Carney is doing. Not only is he being a bad prime minister, he's being a bad Banker,” said Wilderness and Water Campaigner Eric Reder, author of  the report. 

The report stresses Canadian values we must uphold while increasing spending on nature and climate. It offers solutions that build our nation with nature, which is critical for our long-term security and economic benefit.

All projects built in Canada should require Indigenous consent and must have impact assessments. However, the Build Canada Act passed during Carney's first year has threatened both of those key components for securing our future. And the money being doled out through the Major Projects Office established under the Act is how the Carney government is enticing provinces and territories to support this misstep.

For example, the Major Project’s Office recently announced hundreds of kilometres of roads, a new seaport and kilometres of transmission corridors in Canada’s north. Troublingly, this once-in-a-generation infrastructure construction is happening after the federal scientists who would have assessed the project’s impacts were laid off.

“We need to have robust impact assessment plus consent from Indigenous communities,” said Reder, “especially when earmarking $35 billion of infrastructure expansion in the north for global security.”

Nature Can't Afford the Banker outlines how Carney rose to international recognition through his stance that economic values need to include climate change, but says the signal he is sending now doesn’t match his earlier words.

“The values that we heard from Prime Minister Carney prior to his election are not visible in his current decision-making on nature and climate, and we're offering necessary direction for him to course-correct,” said Reder.

[The full paper, Nature Can’t Afford the Banker, can be accessed here, along with relevant photographs and captions.]

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For more information please contact:
Eric Reder | Wilderness and Water Campaigner
eric@wildernesscommittee.org