Have you ever wondered why progress on climate change is so slow despite widespread public support for climate action? How often does the fossil fuel industry try to influence the government’s climate policy decisions? Maybe you’ve even been curious about if Big Oil has lobbied the Member of Parliament representing your community.
If any of these questions have ever crossed your mind, then I have great news for you!
Environmental Defence Canada has just released a new report called Big Oil’s Big Year: A Summary of Big Oil’s 2023 Federal Lobbying that digs into it all. The report finds that oil and gas companies and industry associations try to influence the government through persistent lobbying. In 2023, they had at least 1,255 lobby meetings with the federal government, which is the equivalent of meeting nearly five times per workday. Big Oil primarily targets the ministers and ministries responsible for climate policy.
The report compiles data from the Federal Registry of Lobbyists. It highlights the most active fossil fuel companies and industry associations, as well as the ministries and ministers most targeted for lobbying. Additional findings include these key takeaways:
- The federal ministries most frequently targeted by lobbyists were Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), and Finance Canada (FIN).
- NRCan staff participated in at least 313 meetings with oil and gas lobbyists, including 34 with Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Jonathan Wilkinson present.
- ECCC staff participated in 253 meetings, including 12 with Environment and Climate Change Minister Steven Guiltbeault present.
- Finance Canada staff participated in 118 meetings.
- Oil and gas companies and industry associations lobbied various Members of Parliament 410 times.
- Industry associations were two of the top three most active fossil fuel lobbyists in 2023, with the Pathways Alliance registering 104 meetings and the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers registering 91.
Figure 2: Top five Industry Associations lobbyist
While the relentless nature of the fossil fuel industry’s lobbying is astounding, we know this is just the tip of the iceberg. These figures do not capture the entire extent of the industry’s access, given that the data only includes meetings initiated by the companies that meet the requirements for lobby reporting and not meetings set up by the government.
More scandalous still, new investigative research revealed the lengths these corporate lobbyists are willing to go to try and push the government into line with fossil fuel interests. The Narwhal recently exposed a leaked recording of a lobbyist working for TC Energy, the company responsible for projects such as the Coastal GasLink Pipeline and Keystone XL pipeline. The lobbyist, who has now resigned, was giving a presentation instructing a group on how to sway the government. He described having people bump into politicians outside of work to blend the personal and professional, drafting proposed policies that they give to “underpaid and overworked” government staffers to submit as briefing notes on government letterhead, and even working to influence Canadian ambassadors abroad to deliver pro-fossil fuel industry messages to politicians. This is just one story in the fossil fuel industry’s decades-long effort to ensure they have the ear of politicians from all parties and at all levels of government across the country.
Whether it’s delaying climate policy, carving out loopholes in regulations, or asking for government handouts, Big Oil lobbying is obstructing climate action. Their emissions are polluting our planet, and their corporate influence is polluting politics.
