Canada’s Competition Bureau has launched a formal inquiry into the advertising practices of some of the country’s largest oil and gas producers following allegations the group made “misleading” claims around their plan to achieve net-zero emissions.
Those ads ran across television, major Canadian newspapers, their website, podcasts, social media and at least one billboard outside BC Place stadium in Vancouver. In several cases, the coalition ran television ads during several high-profile events, including during the FIFA World Cup, the Australian Open and the 2023 Super Bowl. Since then, the ad campaign has continued, popping online and on bus stops in Metro Vancouver, among other places.
In a statement to Glacier Media Thursday, Pathways Alliance's vice-president external relations Mark Cameron acknowledged the oil sands represents “a significant share of our country’s emissions” and that industry must work with governments to achieve net-zero emissions and deliver “responsibly produced oil.
In November 2022, the bureau launched an inquiry into the Canadian Gas Association’s “Fuelling Canada” advertising campaign after it allegedly ran “false and misleading” claims promoting LNG as a clean fuel source. They show how the IGU sought to shape the narrative that gas plays in a world increasingly pushing toward decarbonization.