The head of the United Nations this week called for the end of fossil fuel advertising — an international twist on an existing domestic fight.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a speech Wednesday in New York that some in the oil and gas industry have “shamelessly greenwashed” their activities.

“Many governments restrict or prohibit advertising for products that harm human health, like tobacco. Some are now doing the same with fossil fuels,” he said.

That’s the approach advocated by NDP MP Charlie Angus, who has put forward a private member’s bill that would ban “misleading, deceptive” fossil fuel advertising. The bill would outlaw marketing that downplays climate-altering emissions and health hazards associated with the industry, or promotes fossil fuels in ways that are false, misleading or deceptive. Those found to have violated the proposed law could be subject to fines or imprisonment.

The bill falls outside what’s known as the order of precedence and is unlikely to come up for debate in the House of Commons.

The House10:42Banning ads from oil and gas companies

On a week when the UN secretary general called on countries to ban advertising from oil and gas companies, NDP MP Charlie Angus talks about his own bill to ban fossil fuel ads. Then Alberta Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz explains why the industry should be able to promote its environmental record. 

“We see the oil and gas sector in Canada is becoming increasingly provocative and defiant,” Angus told CBC’s The House. “They aren’t doing their part. They have no intention of doing their part. And they know they’re burning the planet — they’ve known all along.”

California, itself a major oil and gas producer, filed a lawsuit last year alleging that oil companies have deceived the public about the risks of fossil fuels and seeking a compensation fund to pay for future damage caused by climate-related disasters in the state.

“So, a simple solution is what we did with big tobacco. Say, ‘No, these are actually threats to human health, what you’re promoting. You’re not offering solutions. And so you have to come clean,'” Angus told host Catherine Cullen.

Angus also dismissed claims that the law would result in jail time for offenders: “We use the same language [as anti-tobacco advertising laws], and I don’t think we’ve ever seen any tobacco executives jailed,” he said.

In Canada, Pathways Alliance — a consortium of major Canadian oil companies — and Enbridge are under investigation by the Competition Bureau over claims made in ads about their environmental records.

Pathways has said it disagrees with the allegations, first advanced by Greenpeace. Enbridge told CBC earlier this year it would co-operate with the bureau.

Pathways Alliance did not respond to a request for comment about the UN call for an advertising ban.

Angus’s bill has faced substantial pushback from conservatives across the country and the oil and gas industry. The federal Conservatives say the bill should be defeated; party leader Pierre Poilievre has promised to repeal “all Trudeau/NDP anti-energy laws and unleash Canadian energy for our people and the world.”

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In response to Guterres’s speech, the president of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers said advertising is “one way we can reach Canadians to ensure they are informed of the progress their oil and natural gas industry is making on these critical matters.”

“We are proud to amplify industry efforts to meet the need for safe, reliable, affordable and responsibly produced energy, for Canada and the world,” CAPP president Lisa Baiton said in a statement issued to CBC News earlier this week.

In a separate interview on CBC’s The House, Alberta Environment Minister Rebecca Schulz said she doesn’t agree with the idea of comparing oil and gas advertising to tobacco marketing.

“I would say that that’s a pretty disingenuous comparison,” she said. “We are not in a place where we can live without energy, without oil and gas.”

Schulz defended the track record of the Alberta oil and gas industry on emissions reductions. In May, government data showed Alberta’s emissions remained relatively stable from 2021 to 2022, with significant declines in emissions from electricity generation. Oil and gas emissions remained stable despite increasing oil production. Schulz praised the industry’s ability to reduce per-barrel emissions and methane emissions.

“If we’re not able to talk about the benefits of energy and, of course, our environmental record, I will tell you who will step up to meet the demands of energy, and that is countries like China and Russia,” she said. “And what will happen then is global emissions will continue to increase. We absolutely have the opportunity to be part of the solution, not the problem here.”

In a statement issued to CBC News, federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault said he agrees with Guterres that the world is on its way to “climate hell” unless all of society steps up.

He touted the government’s proposed oil and gas emissions cap and commitment to phasing out fossil fuel subsidies.

“We’ve all seen [oil and gas company] advertisements about striving to reach net-zero emissions, but we have not seen execution on these commitments to get shovels in the ground for projects that will cut emissions and create good paying jobs,” Guilbeault said.

“Canadians expect their governments to hold big oil companies accountable for their pollution while making life more affordable for Canadians, and that’s what we’ll continue to do.”