Have you heard about the private members' bill introduced to the House of Commons to ban all fossil fuel advertising in Canada?
Under the ill-conceived Bill C-372, any promotion of fossil fuels by an individual or organization, even if stating scientifically correct facts such as natural gas emits less greenhouse gases (GHGs) than coal when used to generate electricity, would be made illegal and met with severe consequences.
Here's what some Canadian and Indigenous leaders are saying about the legislation. Also see:
- 20 Quotes on Why the Oil & Gas Emissions Cap Doesn't Make Sense
- 11 Quotes by First Nations Leaders Supporting Canadian LNG Projects
- 20 Quotes Showing the Importance of Energy Security for Canadians & the World
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Properly handled resource development is, for most of our communities, the only realistic way out of the current welfare trap. We will not allow a small number of thought-control advocates to stop us from making decisions about our economic future. And I trust First Nations, Metis and Inuit to protect our traditional lands much more than I trust governments and environmental groups…
We respect their right to hold different views and to argue for them forcibly. But we will not tolerate the implied paternalism and the attempt to push Indigenous peoples into the background. We will develop our lands as we wish, and we will build the prosperity we deserve and desire.
Stephen Buffalo – President & CEO, Indian Resource Council & Senior Fellow, Macdonald-Laurier Institute
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This bill came as a surprise, and I would say an unwelcome surprise, to many people in Canada, least of all us here in the Saskatchewan NDP, as well as our cousins to the west.
This is an important sector for our economy here. This has been the history of the province. I'm sitting in my office right now in the legislature, and I've got a picture behind me of Tommy Douglas turning on the first pipeline in Saskatchewan. This contributes to the wealth of households and the wealth of this province…
Aleana Young – MLA, Saskatchewan
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"We do not support the Private Member's Bill introduced by Charlie Angus. Energy companies are important job creators in Alberta and Saskatchewan and shouldn't be singled out by advertising restrictions. We already have legislation around false advertising, and we are more interested in advancing ideas that can actually help people. It is not helpful to pick fights that just polarize people and get in the way of the real solutions we need."
Joint Statement – Nagwan Al-Guneid – MLA, Alberta & Aleana Young – MLA, Saskatchewan
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With his private member's bill banning promotion of the oil and gas industry… [they] want to shut down fossil fuel production, a move that would devastate the Canadian economy and undermine the greatest — and often the only — opportunity that many First Nations have for economic renewal…
We will not be quiet as we chart the future we want, on our terms and in our territories. Far from silencing us, you have made it abundantly clear that Indigenous peoples must speak for ourselves.
Karen Ogen – Chief Executive Officer, First Nations LNG Alliance
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Of the misinformation out there, a good deal, if not a majority, comes from groups opposing fossil fuels. Whereas any oil or gas company must provide national regulators scientifically valid proof of the safety or viability of their projects, there is no equivalent standard or scrutiny for the hyperbole and panic driven messages emanating from eco-groups doing everything they can to stop fossil fuel development.
Adam Pankratz – Lecturer, Sauder School of Business, University of British Columbia
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Canadians would face sanction for saying that the extraction and selling of oil is a net contributor to the country's economy — a claim that is actually made quite often by the federal government itself. "Oil and gas extraction is an important contributor to the Canadian economy," reads a recent report by Statistics Canada.
Tristin Hopper – Columnist, National Post
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This bill would impede our country's ability to foster a sustainable energy industry, strengthen decarbonization efforts, and advance Indigenous economic reconciliation...
Canada is the best in the world at producing responsible and environmentally sustainable oil and gas, and no legislation can muzzle the truth. The facts are clear – we need Canadian oil and gas, and our people will deliver.
Mark Scholz - President & CEO, Canadian Association of Energy Producers
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Let's Have Balanced Conversations
Bill C-372 specifically targets advertisements that suggest fossil fuels would "…lead to positive outcomes in relation to the environment, the health of Canadians, reconciliation with Indigenous peoples or the Canadian or global economy."
But what about the facts? For example:
- Displacing 20% of Asia's coal-fired power plants with Canadian LNG could save an entire Canada in emissions
- Canada's oil & natural gas sector is projected to generate well over $1 trillion in revenues for Canadian governments between 2000 and 2032
- Cedar LNG will be the largest First Nations majority-owned infrastructure project in Canada, and play an instrumental role in the Haisla's economic development over the next four decades
- LNG Canada was the largest private-sector investment in Canadian history, at $40 billion, economically benefitting local and Indigenous communities in Western Canada
These true statements would be made illegal under Bill C-372. It's just total nonsense.
Let's continue to have balanced, honest and fact-based discussions on how Canada's reliable energy exports are a force for good in the world.
The reality is that global oil and natural gas demand is growing, and Canada's responsibly produced energy is the best choice for global supply.
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𝐀 𝐜𝐚𝐩 𝐨𝐧 responsibly produced 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐢𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐠𝐚𝐬 is a step backwards for:
— Oil Sands Action (@OilsandsAction) January 26, 2024
- 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬
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- 𝐄𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲#CdnPoli pic.twitter.com/hYsgmguHlU