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More than 30 years after tobacco ads were banned in Canada, the fossil fuel industry is seeing similar scrutiny for the potential harm such ads bring to the public good.
An interim decision leaked last month from Ads Standards Canada — a regulating body for the advertising industry — found oil and gas advocacy group Canada Action Coalition’s B.C. LNG ads amounted to greenwashing.
Bill C-59, federal legislation passed this week that calls for changes to the Competition Act, has already drawn ire from Danielle Smith’s Alberta government, a booster of the oil and gas industry, and seemingly killed its notorious “war room.”
Pathways Alliance — a group of Canada’s biggest oilsands companies that has spent millions on ads about their environmental commitments — has also now shut down its online presence, citing uncertainty from Bill C-59. The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers says it has acted similarly.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called this month for every country to ban fossil fuel ads, comparing fossil fuels to other products that harm human health like tobacco.
“Many in the fossil fuel industry have shamelessly greenwashed, even as they have sought to delay climate action — with lobbying, legal threats and massive ad campaigns,” Guterres said.
With this in mind, we want to ask:
Should Fossil Fuel Ads Be Restricted?
* Please note that all poll answers will be publicly viewable, but anonymous.
Please note that Tyee Barometer polls are only intended as a quick and engaging non-scientific snapshot of our readers' opinions on various topics that fit with The Tyee's very broad editorial mandate. They are not intended to be seen as a representative sampling of BC opinion.