Deceptive Fossil Fuel Advertising by CAPE Misleads Canadians

CAPE wants to silence voices they don't agree with

CAPE’s recent Vancouver campaign against B.C. LNG is one example where it distorts the truth about Canadian natural resource development. The organization's website features campaigns calling on Canadian governments to block all fossil fuel advertising in Canada, claiming such advertising is “deceptive” ^[3]. It should be lost on no one that the very nature of imagery used in CAPE’s anti-B.C. LNG ads in Vancouver is itself clearly “deceptive”.

By supporting legislation to block advertising in Canada’s resources sector, including Bill C-59 and Bill C-372 ^[4][5], CAPE seeks to silence voices that engage in good faith in the broader conversation on energy policy and economic development.

CAPE’s one-sided approach denies Canadians access to balanced, fact-based natural resources information about the very industries that play a critical role in our national economy and that help fund our social programs. These industries, in turn, play a huge role worldwide in supporting global resource security, geopolitical stability, and other important initiatives we are prevented from mentioning here as a result of amendments to Bill C-59.

What makes CAPE’s aforementioned claims even more troubling is the clear double standard to which it operates. We believe this has the effect of calling its credibility further into question.

CAPE’s use of manipulated imagery in a recent anti-B.C. LNG campaign undermines its credibility as a proponent of transparency and fairness. If CAPE claims to advocate for truth in advertising while engaging in the very practices it seeks to ban, how can Canadians trust anything it says?

Canadians cannot afford to be misled by anti-development activists

With a struggling national economy overly dependent on a single trading partner to the south, Canadians can no longer afford to be misled on issues relating to our job-creating, prosperity-boosting natural resource sectors, and the massive economic opportunities they provide for our families.

We must have balanced and informed conversations about securing our economic future.

Let’s remember that efforts to prevent Canadian energy exports, like those by CAPE, haven’t reduced global oil and gas demand, but instead have only assisted other fossil fuel exporters in taking potential market share away from Canada ^[6][7].

Energy is Canada’s largest export and helps fund healthcare, education, emergency services, and public infrastructure. In 2022, for example, the oil and gas sector generated $45 billion in government revenues that helped support our social programs and, more broadly, our standard of living across the country.

CAPE’s apparent intent to mislead Canadians undermines attempts to build a pragmatic approach to supporting a stronger, more inclusive economy via utilizing all forms of energy including wind, hydro, solar, nuclear, oil and gas, geothermal, etc., ensuring a more secure future for our country in the process.

Misleading Canadians damages public trust

A CAPE member standing beside fake, doctored imagery meant to represent B.C. LNG

When an organization comprised of healthcare professionals — individuals who are paid by our governments and who Canadians inherently trust to act with integrity while prioritizing the public good — resorts to such deceptive advertising, it raises serious questions about their credibility and, ultimately, their motivations.

Canadians rely on their physicians to present evidence-based perspectives rooted in reality – not fearmongering or manipulation. CAPE’s actions not only erode public trust in itself, but could risk influencing public perception of other non-CAPE healthcare professionals inaccurately – especially those who do not support their views – as biased or unreliable in areas outside their core expertise.

Nobody wants that.

CAPE’s disinformation campaign against Canadian LNG development leaves out important context, which must be included if truthful discussions about the future of our resource industries and economy at large are to be engaged in. For example:

Q. Why use inaccurate and misleading imagery?

Using doctored images to represent Canadian LNG - particularly Middle Eastern oil and gas facilities with photoshopped smoke added - is not just misleading but undermines the credibility of any argument CAPE hopes to make.

When activists resort to doctored visuals, it erodes both their argument and the public trust. Honest dialogue requires facts, not tricks.

Like engineers, lawyers, and other professions regulated by their respective associations in Canada, physicians are held to a very high standard of professionalism. For a subset of doctors to mislead Canadians about the nature of B.C. LNG and other resource-related opportunities with deceptive imagery, while they leave out important context about the sector’s benefits, is dishonest. It seems to fly in the face of their own profession’s rules.

For example, the Canadian Medical Association Code of Conduct of Ethics and Professionalism states that virtues exemplified by an ethical physician ^[8] include (but are not limited to):

Honesty: An honest physician is forthright, respects the truth, and does their best to seek, preserve, and communicate that truth sensitively and respectfully.

Integrity: A physician who acts with integrity demonstrates consistency in their intentions and actions and acts in a truthful manner in accordance with professional expectations, even in the face of adversity.

Prudence: A prudent physician uses clinical and moral reasoning and judgement, considers all relevant knowledge and circumstances, and makes decisions carefully, in good conscience, and with due regard for principles of exemplary medical care.

Is CAPE being honest, prudent, or showing integrity by intentionally misleading Canadians on B.C. LNG?

Q. Why ignore the Indigenous communities who own and are developing B.C. LNG projects?

CAPE’s continuing efforts to block investment in Canada’s LNG industry and its resulting misinformation campaign omit the meaningful involvement of Indigenous communities in B.C. LNG projects, many of which are owned and led by First Nations.

CAPE seems to ignore these Indigenous communities that are building and supporting LNG projects.

Emerging projects, like LNG Canada, Cedar LNG, and Ksi Lisims LNG, are providing once-in-a-lifetime economic opportunities for Indigenous people, creating lasting jobs in their communities and building valuable, long-term business partnerships with industry. Ignoring these facts erases Indigenous voices and undermines reconciliation efforts tied directly to natural resource development on their lands.

Karen Ogen, a proponent of B.C. LNG projects, recently visited Asia and spoke with several foreign governments about the prospects of Canadian LNG.

“I have been meeting officials in Japan. Our stable, long-time ally and trading partner wants Canadian LNG,” said Ogen ^[9].

“Our allies in Korea want it too. And Malaysia. All throughout Asia, in fact. There is a huge market for Canada’s LNG, much beyond what Phase 1 of LNG Canada’s project can deliver. We must answer the call, now more than ever. For our own sake.”

As Chief Executive Officer of the First Nations LNG Alliance, Ogen represents a collective of many Indigenous communities in B.C. looking to LNG development as a means of economic reconciliation. According to Ogen and her organization, this much-needed economic activity will help First Nations build schools and hospitals and deliver services young families need.

Do Indigenous voices not count in the B.C. LNG discussion? Do they not deserve adequate healthcare and facilities like we have?

CAPE’s failure to mention First Nations LNG proponents seems to be of the very nature that Ogen and others, like Crystal Smith, Chief of the Haisla Nation (proponent of Cedar LNG), have been saying about activist organizations all along.

“If left to climate activists, Indigenous people would be the last to benefit, the last to participate, and the last to be connected to new infrastructure,” said Chief Smith back in 2023 ^[10].

“But not this time. First Nations will be full participants in the future. Not the cold, dark future that eco-colonialism offers, but a fair and prosperous future that Indigenous people helped plan, design and build.”

Q. Why omit the huge direct donations to hospitals and healthcare from our natural gas sector?

Canada's natural gas sector has contributed millions of dollars to hospitals and healthcare programs, a fact that CAPE fails to mention. The latest examples include donations from energy producers towards CT Scanners for the Kitimat and Squamish hospital facilities. These contributions support vital health services that benefit all Canadians, including those in rural and underserved areas.

By omitting these industry contributions, CAPE presents an incomplete and heavily skewed perspective of the health impacts of LNG projects.

Let’s also not for a second forget that our domestic oil and natural gas producers are made up of our fellow Canadians, working with First Nations and labour organizations to support their families and communities.

The economic opportunities afforded to Canadians by the energy sector support the health and vitality of our families by paying for the necessities of life - food, shelter, clothing, leisure and recreation, and so forth. Does this not matter to CAPE?

Q. Why mislead the public about global energy consumption?

Global energy demand is at an all-time high and is expected to continue growing significantly over the coming decades as the world’s population balloons to nearly 10 billion people ^[11]. LNG, specifically, is projected to grow by about 60% through 2040 ^[16].

Canada’s LNG sector can and should play a crucial role in meeting this demand – because if we don’t, another natural gas exporting country will be happy to step up, as we’ve already seen during the past decade of activist obstructionism against Canadian energy projects.

CAPE’s campaign ignores the reality that Canadian LNG can help replace coal in global markets while supplying the natural gas that an energy-hungry world wants and needs. Misrepresenting this dynamic does a disservice to Canadians by misleading them about the massive economic opportunities presented by meeting growing energy demand.

Germany, Poland, Japan, Malaysia, Latvia, Ukraine, South Korea, Greece, Taiwan, and the Philippines have all said they want to buy or would support Canadian-made LNG – because it is in high demand, and in many instances, these nations prefer sourcing energy from Canada because of our shared democratic values ^[11].

Q. Why leave out Canada’s existing record of solar, wind, and hydro power generation leadership?

As of 2022, Canada was the sixth-largest producer of renewable energy in the world ^[12], yet CAPE’s narrative fails to acknowledge this fact.

Our LNG projects are part of a diversified energy portfolio, required to supply growing energy demand globally.

Ignoring Canada’s renewable energy achievements distorts the broader context of our global energy position and, once again, misleads Canadians about how we can and should support all forms of energy – hydro, wind, solar, oil, natural gas, geothermal, nuclear, etc. – for a stronger economy and more energy secure future.

We would all do well to remember that energy is foundational to prosperity – in modern history, there has never been an energy-poor country that has achieved sustained wealth or long-term economic affluence ^[13].

What solutions does CAPE propose?

CAPE has a lot of complaints, but no pragmatic solutions.

Judging by its actions, CAPE wants to shut down Canadian energy altogether – but what is the alternative? Should we start importing all our life-sustaining oil and natural gas from foreign producers like the US, plus Saudi Arabia and Russia, while ceding our economy-boosting energy export market share to others abroad?

If we follow CAPE’s marching orders and shut down our largest export industry, what will replace the jobs and revenues it creates for our country? – (HINT: the oil and gas sector’s economic impact on the Canadian economy is irreplaceable).

Between 2000 and 2032, Canada’s oil and natural gas sector is projected to generate over $1.1 trillion in government revenues ^[14][15] for Canadians that will help pay for our schools, hospitals, universities – and the professionals that staff them, including doctors.

Imagine the irreparable damage such actions would do to our families, governments, economy, and public institutions like hospitals, which rely heavily on oil and natural gas products in many forms to provide life-saving healthcare treatments to millions of Canadians.

Let’s start having balanced conversations

CAPE’s misleading campaigns against B.C. LNG development undermines public trust and distorts the critical conversations Canadians must have about our economic future.

By using deceptive imagery, ignoring Indigenous partnerships, dismissing the contributions of our resource sectors, and turning a blind eye to global energy demand and our record on renewables, CAPE weakens its own credibility and distorts the broader dialogue Canadians need to have about the opportunities before us.

As a nation, we must prioritize honest, fact-based discussions to ensure clarity and fairness in shaping our economic policies that will help secure prosperity for all Canadians.

The red circle is a massive missed opportunity.

- Many countries have been asking for Canada to step up.

- We have one of the largest natural gas reserves.

- Our social programs and communities need the jobs and economic benefits.#LetsGoCanada #CanadianEnergy pic.twitter.com/3dgs9E5y4l

— Canada Action (@CanadaAction) March 14, 2025

SOURCES:

_{1 - https://businessdatalab.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Canadas_Natural_Wealth.pdf}

_{2 - https://macdonaldlaurier.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/20240402_Canada-Golden-Goose-CrossMintz_PAPER-v9-FINAL.pdf}

_{3 - https://cape.ca/focus/fossil-fuel-ad-ban/}

_{4 - https://cape.ca/press_release/greenwashing-the-strengthening-of-canadas-environmental-marketing-rules-welcome-but-insufficient/}

_{5 – https://cape.ca/bill-c-372-the-fossil-fuel-advertising-act/}

_{6 - https://www.statista.com/statistics/271823/global-crude-oil-demand/}

_{7 – https://www.statista.com/statistics/1381349/global-natural-gas-demand/}

_{8 - https://policybase.cma.ca/link/policy13937}

_{9 - https://vancouversun.com/opinion/op-ed/karen-ogen-we-can-diversify-canadas-exports-with-indigenous-lng}

_{10 - https://www.piquenewsmagazine.com/opinion/chief-crystal-smith-first-nations-want-an-energy-future-not-eco-colonialism-6394031}

_{11 - https://www.un.org/en/desa/world-population-projected-reach-98-billion-2050-and-112-billion-2100}

_{12 - https://energy-information.canada.ca/en/energy-facts}

_{13 - https://www.canadapoweredbywomen.ca/energy-is-the-connection-point-that-powers-prosperity-in-canada-and-around-the-world/}

_{14 - https://www.canadianenergycentre.ca/755-billion-the-energy-sectors-revenue-contribution-to-canadian-governments-2000-2021/}

_{15 - https://www.canadianenergycentre.ca/495-billion-in-government-revenues-from-the-canadian-oil-and-gas-industry-projected-over-next-decade/}

_{16 – https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/shell-expects-60-rise-global-lng-demand-by-2040-2025-02-25/}