New Democratic Rep. Charlie Angus’s message this week that the oil and gas sector needs to have a “tobacco boom” and no longer need to be aggressively promoted primarily refers to fossil fuels as climate-destroying toxins. It will be well-received among Canadians, who see it as something to be avoided. as soon as possible.
The federal NDP MP’s message and the new private member’s bill are among Canadians whose livelihoods depend on the production and sale of fossil fuels that nearly every other Canadian uses every day for transportation and protection. It won’t be very effective.
And without a doubt, most people in this country would recognize where most of the oil-producing Canadians live. Some areas are flat and others are uneven. His local NDP wing just happens to be embarking on a discussion about how to redefine itself.
It’s unclear exactly how the Alberta NDP wants to project itself to Albertans in the race for leadership, but some, like Angus, say they don’t want to promote the oil and gas industry as a driver of economic interests. It’s safe to say they don’t want to legalize it. It was proposed by a Northern Ontario MP.
Bills submitted by private members usually have little chance of being adopted, and news of their introduction is not widely communicated to the public, drawing the attention of environmental activists who want to crack down on major oil companies and people who feel threatened by oil companies. It is possible that they are collecting. On the one hand, the dissemination and implementation of such ideas.
Mr Angus modeled his bill on the 1997 Tobacco Act, which placed strict restrictions on tobacco advertising. In pushing for anti-promotion legislation, he directly targeted oil groups like Pathways Alliance, a coalition of oil sands companies that has touted its goal of reaching net zero by 2050. .
“They have turned their propaganda around false claims that they are producing cleaner products and that they can be part of the fight against climate change,” Mr Angus told reporters this week. “That’s like saying Benson & Hedges can help eradicate lung cancer.” It would have been.)
Why link fossil fuels to tobacco? Angus argues that both industries engage in misleading marketing about the pros and cons of their products, and that the risks need to be more clearly understood. His bill specifically addresses what oil and gas marketing cannot do: promote economic interests or state that one fossil fuel is less harmful than another. For example, burning natural gas is more carbon-intensive than coal, and this is clearly true, he notes.
Pathways Alliance’s promotion notes that the oil sands contribute to a “significant portion of our nation’s emissions” and that it is working to achieve net zero, the group told CBC. said in a statement. The competition bureau is investigating Does the group’s marketing make false or misleading claims? This liability arises regardless of any laws specific to this industry.
By imitating too closely, old tobacco lawAngus’ bill also extends to restricting how retailers (such as gas stations) can sell their products.
They may not “offer or provide any consideration for the purchase of fossil fuels, including gifts, bonuses, premiums, cash rebates, or the right to participate in games, drawings, or lotteries, to the purchaser or any third party. or contest. ” Goodbye, Shell Pump Air Miles, or Petro-Canada Comeback? olympic commemorative glasses Of yore?
Mr Angus’ fossil fuel advertising legislation would also match the penalties under the Tobacco Act, which include hefty fines or up to two years in prison for manufacturers. This caused Alberta’s premier and others to worry that Ottawa would jail people for saying nice things. canadian crude oil. But the 1997 law didn’t fill prisons with nicotine-crazed apologists, and it’s unclear whether Smith himself received a police visit when he wrote the following statement: Positive column about smoking In 2003, we probably would have heard about it.
Mr. Angus and the Canadian Association of Environmental Physicians are pushing this idea to stigmatize and denormalize fossil fuels, much like social and advertising laws have done for tobacco in previous decades. However, in 1997, It’s already abnormal to smoke; Just over 25 per cent of Canadian adults use tobacco, half the number in the 1960s. The disappearance of smoking advertising and event sponsorship since then may also have contributed to the rise in smoking rates. 12 percent By 2021.
Government attempts to tax carbon-emitting fuels and phase out fuel-burning cars have certainly contributed to their decline, just as heavy taxes on cigarettes and bans on smoking in workplaces and bars have certainly contributed to their decline. , with or without it, could be a means to curb oil and gas consumption. Specified advertising regulations.
But for now, oil and gas are widely used in society as usual. Alternatives to stopping oil are not as simple as chewing gum or patches.as a country largest export Many of Western Canada’s lifeblood industries are more economically important sectors than the tobacco farms that are being phased out in this country.
That’s why former Alberta Energy Minister Marg McCuboid told CBC News that Angus’ proposal is “tone deaf” and that there is nothing left to do to prevent “the environmental side, which is spreading so many misconceptions about oil and gas.” No wonder he said no.
Former Alberta NDP Energy Minister.
Mr McCueg-Boyd remembers the past 10 years in Rachel Notley’s government well. At the time, it had to try to ignore or clearly distance itself from any anti-pipeline rhetoric that the federal New Democratic Party might offer, at a time when the Notley NDP government in the West was actively opposing it. . He promoted pipelines and proclaimed the economic importance of the oil sector to all of Canada.
Mr. Smith’s UCP caucus tried this week to: greed Provincial NDP leadership candidates called on Angus to take a stand on his bill.
Newcomer Rakhi Pancholi did not post anything publicly, but said in a statement to CBC, “We need to start a fight that will further polarize the debate over climate action.” “It gets in the way of real solutions.”Kathleen Ganley attacked federal proposal on social mediacriticizes those who envision a binary choice between “a future in which children can play outside.” [without choking on pollution] And I’m putting a roof over their heads. ”
Ganley opened the door to the idea of easing the relationship between the federal government and the Alberta NDP, arguing that provincial MPs’ concerns about this are “legitimate” and frequently expressed.Pancholi says it will happen too. open to discussion But I don’t try to have an attitude.
The prime minister’s claims during the election campaign that Jagmeet Singh was Mr Notley’s boss were exaggerated, but he was not willing to vote for Mr Ganley, Mr Pancholi or any other leadership candidate in the June 22 election. The problem still remains that those who purchase state party membership automatically become party members. Scenes from Shin and Angus’ party.
Former NDP government aide Keith McLaughlin predicts an overwhelming majority of provincial party members will vote to leave the federal sector, given the wide divide in beliefs on energy and climate issues.
“If we are a big tent progressive party, the federal NDP…does not represent the perspective of the big tent progressive movement in Alberta,” he said on this week’s show. west of center podcast.
“So, how much longer? [are] Will the Alberta NDP and leadership candidates put up with this? ”
These questions will remain as long as there is a bond of fraternity and common membership between the group of politicians who want to lead Canada’s oil provinces and the group of politicians who want to treat oil as a merciless pariah, like a gun. will continue to do so.
west of center49:29NDP Race: Purity vs. Pragmatism
The West of Center podcast features the battle to replace Rachel Notley. So far, two candidates have officially begun their campaigns, but more are expected. One unanswered question is whether Alberta’s NDP will sever ties with the Federalists in order to rebrand itself. Host Kathleen Petty will be joined by former Calgary City Councilor Jeromy Farkas, pollster Janet Brown and political strategist Keith McLaughlin.
