Message From the Editor

Last month, we reported on a new proposal in the Canadian parliament to ban fossil fuel advertisements. Climate campaigners have long called for fossil fuel ad bans around the globe, taking inspiration from tobacco ad bans, and applauded this new proposal by Canadian MP Charlie Angus.

The backlash to this proposed legislation was swift and predictable, with misleading and alarmist headlines all over right-wing publications in Canada. Leading the charge was what DeSmog journalist Geoff Dembicki described this week as an “incendiary” column written by Stephen Buffalo, a member of the Samson Cree Nation.

Buffalo described the proposed legislation as the “most egregious attack on civil liberties in recent Canadian history” and “a direct assault on Indigenous peoples.”

But Buffalo is not a disinterested player in this debate. He is president and CEO of the Indian Resource Council, an Alberta-based group that represents over 130 First Nations that have a vested interest in the oil and gas industry. 

Federal disclosures newly reviewed by DeSmog show that in recent years Indian Resource Council has quietly received $450,000 in contributions from Canadian Natural Resources Ltd., one of the country’s top oil and gas producers. Any surprise that Buffalo is railing against this ad-ban legislation?

The fate of Angus’s legislation is uncertain, but what is not is that fossil fuel ad bans are needed, in Canada and elsewhere. If we had them, perhaps governments in the U.S. wouldn’t be so quick to give $9 billion in taxpayer subsidies to the plastics industry… 

Have a story tip or feedback? Get in touch: [email protected]. Want to know what our UK team is up to? Sign up for our UK newsletter. 

Thanks,
Brendan DeMelle
Executive Director

P.S. Reporting like this that exposes fossil fuel influence is made possible by readers like you. Can you donate $10 or $20 right now to support more of this essential work?

Image credit: Pathways Alliance YouTube

Top Fossil Fuel Ad Ban Critic Runs Group That Got $450K from Oil Company

— By Geoff Dembicki (4 min. read) —

After NDP member of Parliament Charlie Angus introduced a bill in February proposing to ban misleading fossil fuel advertising in Canada, the oil and gas advocate Stephen Buffalo wrote an incendiary National Post column attacking the legislation.

Buffalo, a member of the Samson Cree Nation, called Bill C-372 the “most egregious attack on civil liberties in recent Canadian history” and “a direct assault on Indigenous peoples.” He  compared it to the Indian Act of 1876, a notorious federal law that attempted to erase the culture of First Nations peoples. His column ricocheted across the internet, where it was shared or referenced by industry groups, conservative columnists and rightwing politicians, including federal Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre.

Fossil Fuel Advocates Spread Disinfo About Canada’s False Advertising Bill

— By Taylor Noakes (4 min) —

A member of the Canadian parliament has proposed a ban on misleading fossil fuel advertising. 

Taking inspiration from Canadian government bans on tobacco advertising that went into effect in the 1990s, New Democratic Party (NDP) MP Charlie Angus has proposed private members bill C-372, An Act respecting fossil fuel advertising.

How $9 Billion From Taxpayers Fueled Plastics Production – and Illegal Pollution

— By Sara Sneath (4 min. read) —

Through billions in tax breaks and subsidies, taxpayers in Louisiana, Texas, and other states have supported the construction or expansion of dozens of facilities manufacturing plastics in the United States since 2012. However, many of these plants have also repeatedly exceeded legal limits on the air pollution they release into surrounding communities, disproportionately affecting people of color. That’s according to an Environmental Integrity Project (EIP) report published on Thursday.

For instance, in 2015, then-Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal welcomed Indorama Ventures — one of the world’s biggest producers of single-use plastic — to the state with a $1.5 million grant to renovate a dormant petrochemical plant in Westlake, across the Calcasieu River from Lake Charles. Indorama also received an industrial tax exemption worth $73 million, absolving the Thai-based corporation from paying property taxes for 10 years that would have gone to local schools, fire departments, and the sheriff’s office.

Lib Dem Leader Ed Davey Gifted £2,500 Gala Ticket by Fossil Fuel Firm

— By Joey Grostern (5 min. read) —

Ed Davey, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, accepted a donation worth £2,500 from Viaro Energy, which drills for oil and gas in the North Sea, parliamentary records reveal.

The donation took the form of a seat at Viaro’s table at the exclusive London’s Air Ambulance Charity gala on February 7th.

The U.S. Livestock Industry Has Side-Stepped Scrutiny – Again

— By Michaela Herrmann (5 min. read) —

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) made headlines around the world by voting to move forward with rules that will require public companies to disclose climate-related business risks to investors.

Some lawmakers have welcomed the mandate from the U.S.’s most powerful financial regulator, which will now force firms to share at least some emissions data.

From the Advertising & Public Relations Database: Stephen Buffalo

Stephen Buffalo, a member of the Samson Cree Nation, is president and CEO of the Indian Resource Council (IRC). In this role, Buffalo has been one of the most outspoken Indigenous voices in favor of expanding oil and gas production in Canada. Buffalo is a senior fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute (MLI), a group listed as a partner of the international Atlas Network. MLI’s Aboriginal Canada and the Natural Resource Economy Project described MLI’s work with First Nations as “a shield against opponents,” and whose team was “concerned” about the passage of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People given the provision of free, prior, and informed consent, given its potential to disrupt resource development.

Read the full profile and browse other individuals and organizations in our Ad & PR Database, Climate Disinformation Database, and Koch Network Database.