Carney appoints new minister of energy and resources

OTTAWA — New Prime Minister Mark Carney has appointed an ex-banker as his new cabinet’s minister of energy and resources.

Tim Hodgson, a former corporate executive who served as an adviser to Carney while he was leading the Bank of Canada, will replace Jonathan Wilkinson in the role.

According to the Penticton Herald, ex-Goldman Sachs’ Hodgson is the chairperson of Hydro One and the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization; holds a master of business administration from the Ivey Business School at Western University and a bachelor of commerce from the University of Manitoba; and is also a Fellow of the Chartered Professional Accountants (FCPA).

He will be working closely with Julie Dabrusin, the minister of environment and climate change.

The direction of the two files will be largely intertwined as the government works to balance growth in the energy sector along with environmental concerns.

During the campaign, Carney signalled an openness to building more pipelines in Canada, while vowing to cut approval times to get projects built faster.

He also said having western Canadian oil flow through the U.S. to Ontario and Quebec presents a national security threat.

But he said his government would not repeal Bill C-69, which overhauled how major national infrastructure projects are reviewed for environmental impacts.

The PM also confirmed his government would keep Ottawa’s emissions cap on oil and gas production in place — despite the demands of Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and the wishes of the energy sector at large — but fast-track investments in carbon capture to meet those emissions targets.

This comes as Smith criticized Carney’s choice to appoint Dabrusin, pointing to a website touting the new minister’s support for putting a price on carbon pollution, her strong stance against oilsands expansion and her push for a transition away from fossil fuels.

Other new ministers sworn in on May 13th:

• François-Philippe Champagne maintains his position as minister of finance after taking over the file just ahead of the federal election.
• Former deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland is the new minister of transport and internal trade.
• Dominic LeBlanc is responsible for Canada-U.S. trade, intergovernmental affairs and “One Canadian Economy.”
• Maninder Sidhu is the minister of international trade.
• Former Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson takes on the role of minister of housing and infrastructure.
• Evan Solomon takes on the new position of minister of artificial intelligence and digital innovation.
• Mélanie Joly has been shuffled to the industry file from foreign affairs.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 13th, 2025.