Lobbying by the fossil fuel industry is intensifying with the federal government, according to a compilation carried out by Greenpeace, which counted more than 1,400 communications with civil servants, close collaborators of ministers and elected officials. Efforts which are increasing in a context where companies in the sector are singled out by environmentalists, who accuse them of slowing down the energy transition.
According to the data transmitted to Dutyas of November 8, no less than 1,415 “communications” were registered in the federal register of lobbyists during the year 2023 alone. These meetings took place while the Trudeau government was developing the regulatory framework presented Thursday in order to cap then reduce greenhouse gas emissions from oil and gas production in Canada.
The most active companies this year are TC Energy, Pembina Pipeline Corporation and oil companies Irving Oil, Cenovus Energy and Suncor. The latter two are particularly active in the exploitation of tar sands oil and they both have invited representatives in the Canadian delegation to the United Nations climate conference, COP28.
Industry lobby groups are also well represented, according to data compiled by Greenpeace based on publicly available information. The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers has 74 registered “communications” and the New Ways Alliance has a total of 75. New Ways Alliance brings together Canadian Natural, Cenovus, ConocoPhillips, Imperial, Meg Energy and Suncor. These companies alone account for 95% of tar sands oil production, or nearly three million barrels per day.
For example, New Ways Alliance President Kendall Dilling listed 23 communications reports for the month of October 2023 alone. These reports include “oral and organized communications” with close associates of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, but also the Minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada, Steven Guilbeault.
As for the Minister of Natural Resources, Jonathan Wilkinson, Greenpeace recorded a total of 50 communications with representatives of the fossil fuel industry in 2023.
Record
As of 2022, Canadian fossil fuel companies and advocacy groups identified by Greenpeace have disclosed 1,707 oral and organized communications. The year 2023 could beat that number, according to the environmental organization.
Lobbying has also reportedly intensified in recent years. “Last year, Canada’s largest oil and gas companies hit a new record for lobbying, totaling more meetings in 2022 than in any other year since the Federal Register began publishing data” , we can read in the report produced by Greenpeace. Please note that these data are not exhaustive.
Questioned Thursday about the significant lobbying efforts of the industry, Minister Steven Guilbeault assured that the system of capping greenhouse gas emissions from the oil and gas sector was not designed to respond to the grievances of companies .
“We had to talk to the industry, and we did, because they know their sector well. But these regulations were not developed to please the industry. It was developed to ensure that Canada could achieve its goal. To ensure businesses can invest in decarbonization. They rarely do it currently,” he argued.
The industry indicated earlier this year that it planned investments of more than $40 billion in 2023 to boost oil and natural gas production. The aim is to increase production in the coming years.