Building Relationships With Political Leaders: Meeting With MP Mike Kelloway

-David Kehler Reporting,

The strategy of the Climate Change Task Force (CCTF) includes building relationships with political leaders, with the goal of advocating for and shaping public policies and programs. On December 15 the CCTF coordinating committee held a brief and productive meeting with Mike Kelloway, the Member of Parliament for the riding of Sydney-Glace Bay.

After Janet Bickerton described the goals, history and activities of the CCTF, MP Kelloway said, “I'm really stoked that you have formed this group. I think one of the greatest challenges we've had on past environmental policies, current policies, or future policy is a lack of coordination of messaging on the island and across the country. The idea of working with a group like this really makes me happy.”

Kelloway’s enthusiasm springs from several sources. First, he expects the CCTF can help with “messaging.” In his opinion the Liberal’s carbon tax policy was reversed because the messages and stories told by special interest groups were more effective and coordinated than those told by the Liberal government. He appears to hope that the CCTF and its members will be able to effectively communicate with, and educate, the public about climate change issues and policies.

“I'm really stoked that you have formed this group. The idea of working with a group like this really makes me happy.”

The messaging about rapidly rising food costs is also a problem, he said. He pointed out that climate change is an important contributor to these price increases, but this message is not being heard by the public.
I was skeptical when I heard this; I have been influenced by news stories that claim food suppliers and grocery corporations are engaged in price gouging to earn excessive profits. The Conservative Party of Canada, on the other hand, has a different message. Their leader, Pierre Poilievre, claims that the increase in food prices is caused by excessive government spending and by taxes, specifically the industrial carbon tax, among others. So I did some research.

Reports from several reliable sources, such as the Bank of Canada, Health Canada, and Dalhousie’s Agri-food Analytics Lab, all confirm that climate change contributes to food price inflation. One study concluded that climate change could potentially increase food prices by up to 3.2 per cent every single year.

The Bank of Canada noted some examples of how the changing climate affects food prices. “In 2021, Western Canada experienced a severe heat wave and drought conditions that affected the harvest of grains. Wheat saw some of the steepest price increases of any food product. Meat prices were also affected. The extreme heat scorched the grass in fields where cows would normally graze, forcing farmers to buy feed for their animals. That created extra costs for farmers, and consumers ended up paying more.”

A Canadian Press report, published on the CBC website, gives more examples and adds some hard numbers to the Bank of Canada report. In 2021, Saskatchewan’s crop production declined 47 percent. (Links to detailed reports and articles on this subject are listed at the bottom of this article.)

The CCTF will host an online town-hall with MP Mike Kelloway in 2026 to give citizens an opportunity to talk to their federal representative about their fears and concerns and hopes for the future around the issues posed by climate change.

Kelloway’s commitment to consultation and collaboration to achieve community development goals appears to be another reason he is “stoked” about the formation of the CCTF. Before entering politics he had a career focused on various aspects of community development, a discipline he studied at Cape Breton University.

The CCTF is a grassroots organization with which he can collaborate and through which he can consult with the community.

At the end of the meeting he accepted and welcomed an invitation to participate in an online town-hall (on Zoom) to hear Cape Bretoners’ concerns, observations and suggestions. (Look for updates in late winter or early spring of 2026.)

Kelloway also offered to act as a conduit of communication with the federal government in Ottawa. He said that if the CCTF writes a letter or memo that expresses our concerns and our suggestions for programs and policies, he would hand deliver it to Prime Minister Carney and to several other ministers. (The CCTF will be working on the letter asap, keep an eye on your inbox for a future opportunity to contribute)

In response to a question posed by Elder Albert Marshall about the Mi’kmaq protest at Hunter’s Mountain against the clear cutting of the highland forests, Kelloway expressed concern, almost alarm, that many federal, provincial and municipal politicians are abandoning the practice of consulting and collaborating with communities when developing policies and programs. He has noticed a trend among politicians “saying they don’t need to consult.” He was adamant that the First Nations needed to be actively consulted as collaborators in the development of projects and pipelines.

Kelloway also expressed concerns about Bill C-5, officially known as the One Canadian Economy Act, which he called the “bill to eliminate red tape.” He agrees there is a “need to eliminate the right red tape,” but that the bill might “create a situation where the federal government loses the power to enforce environmental stewardship and simply rubber stamps provincial decisions that harm the environment.”

‘My approach has always been that you can't have a strong economy without a strong environment, and vice versa.’

Eric Leviten-Reid was delegated to put questions to Kelloway, including those submitted by CCTF members. He asked Kelloway about the recent MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) between Alberta and the Federal government that endorses the development of new pipelines; whether the Carney government has shifted away from a policy of reducing greenhouse gas emissions; and to elaborate on his personal commitment to the environment and averting a climate catastrophe.
(A summary of the MOU can be read here: https://www.pm.gc.ca/en/news/backgrounders/ 2025/11/27/canada-alberta-memorandum-understanding)

Kelloway began his response by saying,“My approach has always been that you can't have a strong economy without a strong environment, and vice versa.” He added that for him the environment is “sacrosanct.” He said that despite being the son of a coal miner and owing his education to the income from coal mining, he firmly believes that the days of coal are past. He added, “Caucus has made clear to Carney that the environment is important to the Liberal party under any leader.”
He said there is a need to diversify the economy and pointed to his committee work advocating for green hydrogen. He noted that in his capacity as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport and Internal Trade he has been advocating for EV charging stations in Cape Breton and rural Canada. He hinted that in the new year the CBRM would likely receive funding for buses to expand its transit service. All of these initiatives are aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

In response to the topic of the MOU with Alberta and whether the Carney government was backing away from Canada’s commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, he pointed out that in addition to the pipeline proposals the MOU “encompasses a lot of different standards that are helpful to the environment.” A quick scan of the MOU suggests that this may be true, while at the same time a quick google search reveals that the this claim is contentious and that the MOU has sparked intense debate between Canada’s various policy think-tanks and advocacy groups.
(Would anyone reading this care to research the debates sparked by the MOU and write a summary for this newsletter? If this is you, please contact our admin at admin@climatechangetaskforce.ca)

With time running out, Eric circled back to an earlier topic and presented another question submitted by one of our members, “Will the federal government introduce climate adaptation funding to help address some of the climate impact on food insecurity?” Kelloway answered, “Yes,” but said the rules governing caucus confidentially prevent him from disclosing details.
While his assistant reminded him that he was now late for another meeting, he blurted out that funding would soon become available to local community groups for infrastructure improvements to their facilities. This funding is the result of ideas that came out of Cape Breton, he said. “We can punch above our weight!” Something the Climate Change Task Force intends to do, as well.

Reports on the effect of climate change on food security, prices and availability
https://www.bankofcanada.ca/2024/07/what-drives-up-the-price-of-groceries/ https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/how-extreme-weather-affects-food- prices-1.7292120

Health of Canadians in a Changing Climate: Advancing our Knowledge for Action
https://changingclimate.ca/site/assets/uploads/sites/5/2021/11/8-FOOD-CHAPTER-EN.pdf

Canada’s Food Price Report, 2026
https://cdn.dal.ca/content/dam/dalhousie/pdf/sites/agri-food/ FINAL%20E%20low.res%20DAL_PRICE_REPORT_2026.pdf

https://environmentaldefence.ca/2024/06/12/climate-change-is-costing-you-at-the-grocery-store/