Competition Bureau decision gives Carney government a free pass to greenwash

NDP Parliamentary Leader Don Davies issued the following statement after the Competition Bureau refused to investigate his complaint regarding misleading environmental claims in the Carney government’s taxpayer-funded advertising:

“It is flabbergasting that the Competition Bureau believes the federal government can mislead Canadians about its environmental record without facing the same consequences as everyone else.

The Bureau’s position effectively says that private companies must follow Canada’s laws against deceptive environmental claims, but the federal government does not. That is an absurd double standard.

The justification for refusing to investigate is also deeply unconvincing. The federal government is clearly involved in commercial activities. It bought the Trans Mountain pipeline, it owns it through a federal Crown corporation, and that corporation operates a commercial pipeline carrying hundreds of thousands of barrels of petroleum products every day.

The Carney government cannot have it both ways. It cannot own and operate major commercial assets while claiming rules designed to prevent greenwashing simply do not apply to it.

As we noted in our original complaint, the government is spending taxpayer dollars on advertisements claiming its policies will lower emissions and build a cleaner future, even as they have acknowledged emissions will rise under its energy plan.

Canada’s greenwashing rules exist to ensure there is accurate information about environmental claims. New Democrats will continue pressing for accountability. No government should be above the law it expects every other Canadian organization to follow.”