The Liberal party has acclaimed an outspoken anti-oil and gas activist to represent a central Ontario riding, despite recently advocating for a fossil fuel ban and pushing for a carbon tax.
On Wednesday, the Liberal party acclaimed family physician Dr. Nell Thomas in the Haliburton–Kawartha Lakes riding.
Thomas is a long-time climate activist who frequently posts about her disdain for Canada’s energy industry and conservatives.
Just over a week before the Liberal party appointed Thomas as the candidate for Haliburton–Kawartha Lakes, she shared a petition urging Liberal Leader Mark Carney to build a “people’s power grid” for renewable energy instead of investing in pipeline projects.
“Tell PM Carney to champion a People’s Power Grid and deliver bold action on affordability, climate, and energy independence in the face of U.S. aggression,” said Thomas.
The petition, from the left-wing environmentalist advocacy organization 350 Canada, calls on the federal government to create a nationalized energy corporation, expand renewable energy production, and reject oil and natural gas projects and pipelines.
In January, Thomas attended a climate protest affiliated with 350 Canada in Haliburton, Ontario where she gave a speech calling for a global carbon tax and praised its efficacy.
“We must dial back the heat track we are on by increasing the price on greenhouse gas emissions globally. Guess what? That’s a carbon tax because it works. It increases awareness and reduces use,” said Thomas.
She also called on all Canadian policymakers to move towards immediately banning the consumption of all fossil fuels.
“So it is on us friends and neighbours, let’s urge policymakers to rapidly stop emitting all greenhouse gases today. We have the technology, we need the will,” said Thomas.
“End fossil fuels, fast, fair, forever.”
On LinkedIn, Thomas also called for Musk’s imprisonment, referring to him as the “musket.”
“The musket needs to go to jail now,” wrote Thomas in response to a post about Musk’s work at the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency.
Thomas also shared a post calling for Musk’s Canadian citizenship to be revoked–even though the Canadian government has no authority to do so.
In a meme she posted to BlueSky, Thomas even compared Trump in 2025 to Hitler in 1942.
True North reached out to Thomas for a comment, but she was unavailable before the deadline.
Liberal Haliburton–Kawartha Lakes riding president Larry Giles advised True North not to publish an article on Thomas’ acclamation and said that the Liberal party is waiting to hear from the RCMP who are “looking into political foreign interference in the political process.”
Thomas is the daughter of self-proclaimed “environmental economist” Richard Thomas, who ran for the Ontario Liberal party in 1981, nearly winning a seat in the provincial legislature. He then ran as a candidate for the Green party several times from 1990 to 2001.
Thomas will run against Conservative MP Jamie Schmale, who has represented the riding since 2015.