The Globe and Mail's glowing profile of Morgan Breitkreutz, the man Prime Minister Mark Carney has tapped to help respond to Alberta separatism, left out an important detail: Breitkreutz appears to have been deeply involved in the Trudeau government's energy and environmental agenda for years.

A search of the federal lobbying registry shows Breitkreutz's name appearing in numerous meetings between government officials and industry representatives on matters involving energy, environment and infrastructure.

One notable example came on Jan. 31, 2024, when MEG Energy met with senior federal officials regarding energy and environmental issues. The communication report lists Breitkreutz as "Deputy Chief of Staff" at Environment and Climate Change Canada alongside senior bureaucrats from the Privy Council Office and Environment Canada.

Go Ad Free

Public reporting has previously identified Breitkreutz as an adviser to then-Associate Finance Minister Randy Boissonnault. The lobbying record still places Breitkreutz in the room during discussions on major energy and environmental files.

And it wasn't an isolated occurrence.

A review of the lobbying registry shows Breitkreutz appearing repeatedly in communications concerning energy and environmental policy, suggesting he was hardly a newcomer to the Trudeau government's approach to the sector.

That matters because many Albertans blame Ottawa's policies — including the emissions cap, tanker ban, Impact Assessment Act and other regulatory measures — for hampering investment and constraining the province's energy industry.

Now, the man tasked with helping Prime Minister Carney navigate Alberta's growing independence movement appears to be someone who was already closely connected to the very policy apparatus many Albertans believe targeted their province.

If Ottawa wanted to signal a fresh approach to Alberta, appointing someone with deep ties to the Trudeau government's energy and environment files may not be the message Albertans were hoping to receive.