The Better Ideas Show brought together more than three dozen guests during Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Canada Investment Summit to talk about nation-building projects that are practical, affordable, and ready to build the new climate economy that will diversify our trade and protect Canada’s sovereignty.

Prime Minister Mark Carney bases his decisions on geopolitical strategy rather than the climate and biodiversity crisis, despite being seen as a “relatively green leader,” says geologist and renewable energy entrepreneur Ross Beaty.

Beaty told The Mix he “rolled his eyes” when he saw the fossil fuel projects included in Carney’s Canada Investment Summit dealbook. For Beaty, who brings decades of mining and renewables industry experience to the table, the path to expanding Canada’s clean economy is straightforward: “Prioritize clean energy, deprioritize fossil fuel production.”

Carney understands the need to shift the dial on climate finance, yet has to play nice with Alberta and the fossil fuel industry, Beaty argues. “I hate to see that, but that’s the way it is today.”

Turning to his core field of expertise, critical minerals, Beaty said current agenda strategies make “no sense economically,” since they’re primarily driven by a desire to decouple from global supply chains.

“It’s all about wanting to shift production away from China into other places for geopolitical reasons.”

He urged Canadian policymakers to focus on domestic resilience and quality of life.

“Better transportation systems, better housing systems, things that use nature less, things that consume less.”