It’s time the government kicks Big Oil out of the climate conversation

Last year was a record-setting year. It was the hottest year in global temperature records. Canada had a record-setting wildfire season. Both records are because of climate change. Big Oil had a record year, too. Fossil fuel companies had another year of massive profits—and so did their shareholders. They also sent a record number of oil lobbyists to the UN climate change negotiations. They might have set a new record for lobbying here in Canada, too. Environmental Defence Canada tracks how many meetings major oil and gas producers report on the federal lobbyists' registry. In 2023, fossil fuel companies and their main industry associations had at least 1,173 meetings with the federal government. That means Big Oil lobbied the government 4.5 times per working day. But these numbers don’t paint the full picture. First, only meetings initiated by the firms must be registered. We know the fossil fuel lobby engages with government far more than that, through working groups and meetings set up by government officials. For example, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said in an interview that “we now have actually at the federal level a dedicated process with the Pathways ," an industry group representing the six largest oil sands companies. The frequency of Big Oil lobbying is a red flag. But that’s not the only aspect of lobbying that people in Canada should care about. It also matters whose ears in government the industry has. Emilia Belliveau is the Energy Transition Program Manager at Environmental Defence. Photograph courtesy of Environmental Defence Canada Our tracking shows Big Oil lobbyists have frequent access to high-ranking staff in the public service in addition to elected representatives. Natural Resources Canada, and Environment and Climate Change Canada were frequent targets. Natural Resources Canada staff participated in at least 313 meetings with oil and gas lobbyists, including 32 with Wilkinson present. Environment and Climate Change Canada staff participated in 253 such meetings, including 12 with Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault in attendance. Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland had eight meetings with the fossil fuel industry last year. In contrast, she gave very little access to environmental organizations, despite the serious budget implications of the climate crisis. Oil and gas companies and industry associations also lobbied various MPs 402 times. Environmental Defence has not met with Freeland, despite several requests. Looking at the lobby registry, we did see that she had two meetings in 2023 with an environmental non-government organization (NGO), in contrast with the eight meetings with fossil fuel firms. Environmental Defence Canada, like other environmental groups, also lobbies the federal government. We take on a wide range of issues, including protecting consumers from toxic chemicals, protecting areas like the Great Lakes and Ontario’s Greenbelt, and, of course, we lobby for policies that will help tackle the climate crisis. The most important distinction between a non-profit environmental NGO like Environmental Defence Canada lobbying the government and the fossil fuel companies and industry associations that lobby is whose interests each group represents. Environmental NGOs exist to channel support for environmental and climate action, and represent thousands of concerned members, supporters and volunteers across Canada. These NGOs are fundamentally mission-driven, not profit-driven. We lobby on behalf of the public interest. Everyone benefits—including generations to come—when we address climate change or protect nature. The Lobby Monitor recently reported that the environment was the subject of the most lobby communication reports last year, appearing 6,540 times. It’s worth noting that of the 2,529 fossil fuel industry communication reports, more than half (1,301) were for lobbying on the environment—which shows the category ‘environment’ includes reports for activities that harm the environment. Big Oil is lobbying for its private interests, which always has been and will always be extracting and exploiting oil, coal, and gas to make a profit. And fossil fuel companies have made billions of dollars. Imperial Oil CEO Brad Corson took home over $17-million in 2022 alone. Big oil is lobbying to keep polluting the planet, and jeopardizing our future. Despite the rhetoric and advertising campaigns of fossil fuel businesses, the production of oil and gas is still the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Canada at 28 per cent. Despite the scientific imperative that we rapidly phase out fossil fuels, which are the main driver of the climate crisis, oil and gas companies plan to continue increasing production. There is a long and well-documented record of some oil and gas firms lying about climate science and blocking climate policy. The fossil fuel industry’s private self-interest shouldn’t have a seat at the climate policy decision-making table. It’s actually time to kick them out of the room. Emilia Belliveau is the energy transition program manager at Environmental Defence. The Hill Times