May 13th, 2025

Today, I do not stand among those being sworn in as members of Canada’s new Cabinet. Though my tenure as a Minister of the Crown comes to an end, the privilege of serving this country over the past seven years remains one of the greatest honours of my life.

Serving as Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard to Minister of Environment and Climate Change, and most recently Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, my journey in public service has been an enormous honour and privilege shaped by an unwavering belief in Canada’s potential.

I deeply love this country and believe without hesitation that this is the best country in the world. Our collective history is a testament to resilience and progress, and our shared future depends on a continued commitment to making this country stronger, more inclusive, and ever better.

I am the son of parents who spent their lives in service of others – my mother being a social worker and my father a community development worker. They instilled in me the conviction that communities must be built with the intent of leaving no one behind. That principle has shaped my own career, as I have sought to serve not personal interests, but the broader well-being of the communities I cherish.

I fundamentally believe governments should work to enable citizens to pursue their dreams and aspirations to foster an environment where opportunity is not a privilege, but a right. That means ensuring access to things like quality public education and universal health care – cornerstones of a just society.

But opportunity also rests on economic strength. Wealth must be created, not merely redistributed. A thriving, growing economy fuels the programs and protections that define our way of life.

And importantly, in the long run, no economy – no society – can flourish without an unwavering commitment to environmental sustainability.

I stepped away from the private sector and into politics in 2015 because I believed in the power of good public policy to shape the future. As a former CEO in the environmental technology space and a parent of young children, I felt an urgent responsibility to ensure Canada faced the climate crisis in particular with thoughtful but decisive action.

Through my time in Cabinet, I have worked to drive meaningful change across a range of policy areas – including climate. Though the list of accomplishments is lengthy, there are a number of specific moments that underscore why, for me, these past several years have been profoundly worthwhile.

Fisheries and Oceans Achievements:

• Expanded marine protected areas from 1% in 2015 to nearly 14% by 2019;
• Reopened the Kitsilano Coast Guard Base;
• Modernized the Coast Guard fleet – with most of the key work being done at Seaspan in BC;
• Launched the Canada Whales Initiative ($167M) to protect threatened species;
• Created the BC Salmon Restoration & Innovation Fund ($100M federal investment);
• Announced the end of open-net salmon aquaculture in BC;
• Strengthened the Fisheries Act by passing Bill C-68.

Environment Achievements:

• Developed Canada's strengthened climate plan – A Healthy Environment and a Healthy Economy – the first plan in Canadian history to show in detail how to not only achieve our climate targets but to significantly exceed them.
• Developed and passed the Net Zero Emissions Accountability Act - requiring all future federal governments to have transparent and effective climate plans and review advice from an independent advisory body.
• Launched the Canada Water Agency initiative.
• Established the $50M Old Growth Fund, later part of the $1B BC Nature Agreement.
• Secured a historic conservation agreement to protect Southern Mountain Caribou in partnership with local First Nations.
• Amended the Canadian Environmental Protection Act to enshrine the Right to a Healthy Environment.

Energy and Natural Resources Achievements:

• Developed a low-carbon economic strategy, attracting billions in investment;
• Created Investment Tax Credits to drive clean energy investment and innovation;
• Launched Canada’s first national electricity strategy for clean, reliable and affordable power;
• Established the Critical Minerals Strategy with an initial $3.8B in funding;
• Advanced Canada’s Hydrogen Strategy and the Small Modular Reactor Action Plan;
• Designed a roadmap for oil and gas sector decarbonization and competitiveness;
• Established the Indigenous Loan Guarantee Program;
• Passed the federal Sustainable Jobs Bill and interim Sustainable Jobs Plan (2023-2025);
• Passed Bill C-49 to unlock the enormous economic potential of offshore wind development in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador. 

At the end of the day, we all measure our time by the impact we have had. Serving as a Cabinet Minister is an extraordinary privilege – one that demands significant sacrifices, especially from family. Yet as I reflect from where I stand today, I am deeply at peace with the choices I have made.

I know, with certainty, that my work has left a lasting mark on this country and contributed to shaping a better world. The opportunity to serve Canadians in this way has been nothing short of an honour – one that I will always cherish.

I want to thank Prime Minister Trudeau and Prime Minister Carney for entrusting me with this responsibility. But above all I want to thank the residents of North and West Vancouver. Four times, you have placed your trust in me to represent your interests and lead with purpose here in the riding but also on the national and international stages. It has been and remains the privilege of a lifetime

- Jonathan Wilkinson, MP for North Vancouver- Capilano