Longtime Quebec environmental activist Steven Guilbeault has resigned from federal cabinet citing conflicts over a potential pipeline project in Western Canada and prompting renewed debate about the place of activists within government.

Guilbeault, former environment minister under Justin Trudeau and prominent member of Mark Carney’s cabinet , said he could not continue in his role while Carney is paving the way for the project.

Most recently, he had been serving as official languages minister, the minister of Canadian identity and culture — and Carney's Quebec lieutenant.

For years, Guilbeault was a major player in the Liberal Party, but experts say his departure underscores a paradox activists face: navigating personal convictions while advancing a larger political agenda.

“It's

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