Dabrusin defends Canada’s climate record in advance of UN climate conference

OTTAWA — Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin pointed to Canada’s work on methane emissions and electrification Monday in defence of her government’s climate policy before this week’s annual United Nations climate conference.

Dabrusin will attend the first week of COP31 in Turkey this week. Some climate activists say Canada can expect some criticism there from other nations over its recent climate policy shifts.

Dabrusin disagreed with critics who say Canada has rolled back its climate commitments and argued that Canada is a leader on climate policy.

“When it comes to international climate finance, we’re one of only two countries that’s recommitted our international climate finance,” she told The Canadian Press.

“When it comes to methane, we’re co-conveners of the global methane pledge.”

International climate finance refers to funding from wealthier countries, who are more responsible for greenhouse gas emissions to date, to help fight climate change in smaller, less developed nations which are often affected more by the effects of a warming planet.

Dabrusin will convene a ministerial meeting with the European Union of the Global Methane Pledge, a group of 159 countries committed to collectively reducing global methane emissions by 30 per cent below 2020 levels by 2030.

In June, UN Secretary-General António Guterres launched a global call to action on methane during an address at the London Climate Action Week.

Dabrusin also said Canada has been asked to lead consultations with Palau on oceans at COP31. Canada will host the 12th “Our Ocean” conference in May.

Canada and the United Kingdom are co-leaders of the Powering Past Coal Alliance, which seeks to accelerate the global transition away from coal power.

Canada’s environment commissioner issued a report last month which said the government abandoned work in 2024 on a 2021 pledge to ban exports of thermal coal, without any record of having a directive to do so.

Ottawa said that work is only “paused,” though the report also said Ottawa formalized the end of the work in August 2025 as part of budget cuts.

Canada has mostly phased out the burning of thermal coal to power its grid, one of the most polluting forms of electricity generation. Canada also has been accused of hypocrisy for exporting thermal coal to other parts of the world while taking a stance against it domestically.

When asked whether Canada told any of its international partners that the government had stopped work on banning exports of thermal coal, Dabrusin said only that the choice was made “by the previous” environment minister Steven Guilbeault — for whom Dabrusin worked parliamentary secretary.

Although Dabrusin was minister when Canada formally ended the work in August of 2025, she disagreed with the suggestion that she bore responsibility.

“I think that the choice was made to not pursue it under the previous government. And so making HR decisions around that — like, that was already work that wasn’t going ahead,” Dabrusin said.

“But what I will say is, we’re open to next steps. This is a new government, new minister, and we’re open to next steps on what we do.”

Some critics aren’t convinced.

“The hypocrisy in saying it’s too dirty for us, but we’re happy to make millions from it, and we’re happy to allow — because most of that thermal coal is U.S. thermal coal that they can’t ship out of their own ports. So talk about the opposite of the ‘elbows up,'” said Julia Levin, associate director of national climate at Environmental Defence.

She told The Canadian Press while Canada’s leadership on coal has helped other countries transition away from it, Ottawa’s reputation is vulnerable.

“Ideally, Canada should reaffirm the commitment to banning the export of thermal coal,” Levin said.

“If they refuse to do that, then they have no business chairing the (Powering Past Coal) Alliance.”

MP Patrick Bonin, the Bloc Québécois climate critic, also told The Canadian Press Canada should step away from the alliance.

“Very clearly Canada should step down. And short of that, we hope that the other member states that continue their commitments show Canada the door,” Bonin said in French.

“It’s as if there was a delinquent at the head of this initiative. It doesn’t make sense. For the good of this initiative, Canada should step aside.”

Bonin is also attending COP as part of the Canadian delegation. He acknowledged Canada has done work on reducing methane emissions — though he noted Ottawa has delayed the implementation of its methane regulations.

Dabrusin said other countries are still keen to work with Canada and many have turned to it as a reliable energy partner.

Asked how Canada reconciles responding to those calls with maintaining its climate goals, Dabrusin cited Canada’s electrification plans — to which Ottawa committed $50 billion in its latest budget, mostly through tax credits.

“We’re working on building our electricity grid. That actually allows for the switching to electrification, which needs to be done to reduce our emissions,” she said.

“We’re focused on … increasing energy efficiency. And then the innovation, which we do have a lot of the great strong clean tech companies to be able to do what we need to do to get to net zero. And we’re absolutely committed to our Paris commitments.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 10, 2026.

Nick Murray, The Canadian Press