Carney government using tax dollars to greenwash while Canada burns

Carney government using tax dollars to greenwash while Canada burns

VANCOUVER — NDP Parliamentary Leader Don Davies and former NDP House Leader Peter Julian today filed a formal complaint with the Competition Bureau alleging the Carney government is violating Canada's anti-greenwashing laws by using taxpayer-funded advertising to make false environmental claims.

“As Canadians watch their communities burn, the Carney government is spending millions of tax dollars to mislead them,” said Davies. “The Prime Minister has admitted that emissions will rise under his energy plan, yet his government is running ads claiming it will lower them. That’s deceptive marketing and it’s against the law.”

“Canadians deserve the truth, not taxpayer-funded greenwashing,” added Julian. “The Liberals must stop running these false advertisements and start being honest with Canadians about the climate consequences of their policies.”

At a Vancouver news conference, Davies and Julian released a detailed complaint about an ongoing federal advertising campaign. The ads promote the Liberal government’s major energy projects as measures that will "lower emissions" and help "build a cleaner future," despite public statements from Prime Minister Carney acknowledging that his government’s approach will result in higher emissions.

“These claims constitute environmental representations about a business activity and therefore must be supported by adequate and proper substantiation under the Competition Act's greenwashing provisions,” noted Davies. "If private companies are required to back up their environmental claims under Canadian law, the federal government must be held to the exact same standard."

Davies and Julian also raised concerns about the broader use of taxpayer-funded advertising for partisan purposes. They noted that the Carney government recently eliminated prohibitions on self-congratulatory or self-praising messages and political-style slogans in government ads.

“After gutting federal advertising rules, the Carney government has spent millions of taxpayer dollars on high-profile advertising campaigns that echo Liberal partisan messaging,” said Julian. “This includes a $4 million television ad buy during the FIFA World Cup, with overall spending set to hit $115 million this year alone.”

"Taxpayer-funded advertising should provide objective and accurate information to advance legitimate public policy goals. It should never be used to promote partisan propaganda or spread misinformation," Davies concluded.