Canada declines to back EU's carbon border tax despite new energy pact
Minister Julia Dabrusin defends carbon pricing but withholds support for the EU's CBAM as Ottawa quietly seeks an exemption.
What to know
- CBAM, the EU's carbon border tax, took effect in January 2026 and imposes carbon costs on certain imports to protect EU producers.
- Canadian Minister Julia Dabrusin backed carbon pricing in principle but avoided explicitly endorsing CBAM in a Euronews interview.
- A December 2025 internal document shows Ottawa is seeking an exemption or reduced administrative burden from CBAM, even as the two sides hailed a new energy alliance at the late-October Montreal summit.
- The gap between public cooperation and private exemption-seeking could test the limits of the budding EU-Canada energy partnership.
Julia Dabrusin Canadian Climate and Environment MinisterEuropean Union Counterpart in the energy alliance / author of CBAMCanada's Prime Minister's Personal Representative to the EU Negotiator named in internal document
How it unfolded 2 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesposts
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Social commentary questions scope of Canada's exemption ask
A social media post reacting to the Euronews report suggested Canada may be seeking an exemption from EU climate policy more broadly than just CBAM.
“Canada will need an exemption from basically all EU climate policies..”
— patrickcanning.bsky.social -
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Canada will need an exemption from basically all EU climate policies..
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Dabrusin stops short of backing EU's carbon border tax
In an interview with Euronews, Canadian Climate and Environment Minister Julia Dabrusin defended industrial carbon pricing generally but gave no explicit endorsement of the EU's CBAM, which took effect in January 2026.
“Industrial carbon pricing is important in a low-carbon economy, which is where the world is going. But these are conversations for us to have (...) those are conversations that are still to be had…”
— Julia Dabrusin -
2 outlets first by Euronews.com, 6d ago · also Euronews · read ↗
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“By far the most European of the non-European countries…” - unless when it comes to Canada’s approach to climate policy. I am curious how the Council and EP will respond to Ottawa’s demands.
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background
EU and Canada hail deepening energy alliance at Montreal summit — Transatlantic partners hailed a budding energy cooperation at a summit in Montreal held 29-30 October, even as climate-policy differences persisted beneath the surface.
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background
Internal Canadian document reveals push for CBAM exemption — A document from Canada's trade and foreign affairs ministries, later seen by Euronews, states Ottawa is seeking a 'practical agreement' with the EU to reduce CBAM's administrative burden for Canadian exporters.