60 Minutes with Julie Dabrusin, Canada’s Minister of Environment

On April 24, 2026, students at the Paris School of International Affairs (PSIA) had the opportunity to meet and exchange directly with the Honourable Julie Dabrusin, Canada’s Minister of Environment, Climate Change and Nature, as part of PSIA’s “60 Minutes With” series. The session offered students a rare chance to engage one‑on‑one with a sitting minister at the heart of global climate negotiations.

The event opened with remarks from PSIA Vice Dean Mark Maloney, who highlighted the strength of academic cooperation between France and Canada, particularly through the CARE program, which connects PSIA with three leading Canadian universities around climate adaptation, resilience, and empowerment. Nathalie Drouin, the newly appointed Ambassador of Canada to France, followed by underscoring the depth of bilateral relations and the shared commitment to climate action as a defining feature of French‑Canadian cooperation.

Moderated by Juliette Landry, Senior Researcher at IDDRI, the conversation unfolded in the context of Minister Dabrusin’s participation in the G7 Environment Ministers’ Meeting in Paris. 

Students were able to hear first‑hand how global environmental goals such as the 30x30 targets for land and ocean protection and the Kunming‑Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework translate into national strategies and political realities.

Minister Dabrusin presented Canada’s newly released nature strategy, stressing the integration of climate action and biodiversity protection. She detailed Canada’s efforts to expand protected areas on land and at sea, halt biodiversity loss, and work in genuine partnership with Indigenous communities, an approach that particularly resonated with students interested in inclusive and community‑driven environmental governance.

A recurring theme was the alignment of economic growth with environmental sustainability. Minister Dabrusin encouraged students to view climate action not as a constraint but as an economic opportunity, “the greatest […] since the industrial revolution.”

The Q&A session placed students at the centre of the exchange. They raised questions on ecosystem restoration, the implementation of biodiversity commitments, and the role of youth in shaping climate action. In response, Minister Dabrusin highlighted the creation of Canada’s Youth Climate Corps and reminded students that, despite the anxieties of a shifting global order, climate action should remain a “file of hope.”