One-quarter of the world�s peatlands are in Canada, storing approximately 150 billion tonnes of carbon. However, peatlands across Canada face significant and immediate threats from resource extraction and industrial development, wildfires, permafrost thaw, and land-use change. In addition, Canada�s new strategic emphasis and economic support for the extraction of critical minerals for green energy technologies places considerable pressure on peatland carbon stores, including within some of the largest peatland landscapes in the world (e.g., Hudson Bay Lowland and Mackenzie River Basin). Data-driven strategies are urgently required to ensure climate-smart decision-making for new economic developments within these carbon-rich peatland landscapes. Here, I summarise key results from multiple studies on the impact of different disturbances on peatland carbon stocks and fluxes in Alberta, the Northwest Territories, and Ontario, and highlight some of the ecohydrological feedbacks controlling carbon cycling in these peatlands. I describe how these data may be used to inform workable policy options for peatlands in national climate plans, land-use planning, and impact assessment, so that these globally significant carbon stores and sinks continue to serve as an ally in Canada�s actions to fight climate change and to be resilient to its impacts.