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National Observer
23-07-2025
- Business
- National Observer
Toronto should kiss oil and gas advertising goodbye
Toronto city councillors have a chance at this week's council meeting to take a stand against powerful fossil fuel corporations spinning the public on the virtues of their product. The folly of burning fossil fuels that produce carbon dioxide pollution and cause global warming have long been well documented and publicized. But that hasn't stopped fossil fuel companies from promoting their continued use through advertising. Just as governments at all levels said no to tobacco advertising in the 1980s, it's time towns and cities stop accepting ads from fossil fuel promoters. This isn't a new idea. Last year, United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres urged all nations to ban fossil fuel advertising. The idea has also been percolating in Canada for some time already; a private member's bill by former NDP MP Charlie Angus to do just that died on the order paper before the federal election. But cities like Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto now have a window to get tough as they shift their advertising policies to match the new federal anti-greenwashing laws passed in June 2024. Later this week, Toronto city council is scheduled to debate a staff report recommending new guidelines for fossil fuel industry advertising. The report, as written, is not as strong as it should be. With any luck, council will ask for more backbone. The federal regulations, finalized last month, prohibit companies from making false or unsubstantiated environmental claims and require them to back claims with an assessment of the wording and general impression conveyed by the ads. The new laws effectively shut down advertising by the Pathways Alliance, a lobby group representing the oilsands giants that had once festooned Toronto streetcars in ads trumpeting, 'Our net-zero plan is in motion.' In truth, that motion has been awfully slow. Although Pathways has pitched an ambitious project to capture the carbon emissions during the oil production process, no actual construction has yet begun. By pulling its ads and scrubbing its website, Pathways tacitly acknowledged it couldn't back up its claims. But Toronto council initially asked for even more than the greenwashing provisions. They also wanted the new policy to ensure all advertising is consistent with the city's TransformTO Net Zero strategy, which aims to make the city net-zero by 2050. Among the steps the city must take to achieve that goal is a 'rapid and significant reduction in natural gas use.' It's hard to see how, under that rubric, any advertising shilling for gas would be acceptable. Splashy ad campaigns, such as the one recently run by energy giant Cenovus that played up the economic benefits of oil and gas, met the federal advertising standards because it avoided making environmental claims. But it would surely be out of sync with Toronto's net-zero policy. The staff recommendation went only partway — advising council to adopt anti-greenwashing rules and requiring advertisers to back up environmental claims, which is already required by federal law. But it skirted the council's second request. This is the right time for Toronto to kiss oil and gas advertising goodbye. @ writes This was deeply disappointing to Leah Temper, who is leading the charge for the Fossil Fuel Ads Make Us Sick campaign on behalf of Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. 'It's missing the point to only look at greenwashing,' said Temper, who was promoting a letter-writing campaign to council days before the meeting. Without the proviso that all ads must be in line with Toronto's climate goals, fossil fuel companies will find a workaround. Instead of claiming to be green, they simply pivot and claim to be cheaper, a claim that is also debatable, she noted. Toronto should seize this chance to be a leader. It doesn't have to ban fossil fuel advertising, which has the potential, as happened with tobacco ad bans, to open the door to legal challenges from industry. By demanding that fossil fuel ads don't undermine the city's climate policy, the bar would be high enough to effectively shut the door on fossil fuel advertising. Someone needs to rein in deep-pocketed fossil fuel companies and their allies hellbent on convincing the public the best course of action is to keep the oil and gas industry alive. Will pushback from cities stop the flow of disinformation? Probably not.
Toronto Sun
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Toronto Sun
Former MP Angus says NDP became too focused on leader, TikTok likes
Published Jun 11, 2025 • 3 minute read NDP MP for Timmins-James Bay Charlie Angus rises during question period, Friday, Dec. 1, 2023, in Ottawa. Photo by Adrian Wyld / THE CANADIAN PRESS OTTAWA — The NDP suffered an 'unmitigated disaster' in the last election because it lost touch with its grassroots and became too 'leader focused,' former MP Charlie Angus said Wednesday. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The longtime NDP stalwart said he toured the country during the election and spoke with many rank-and-file members. He said the party now needs to do a lot of soul-searching to reconnect with that base, renew itself and rebuild. 'People feel that the party lost touch by becoming very much a leader-focused group as opposed to the New Democratic Party of Canada,' he said, when asked about the dismal April election results. 'We have to be a democratic party from the grassroots. We have to re-engage with people. We lost touch and we have to be honest about that.' The NDP saw the worst results in its history in the April 28 election. It won just seven seats, lost official party status and watched then-leader Jagmeet Singh lose his own seat in British Columbia. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Angus did not run in that election after representing the northern Ontario riding of Timmins-James Bay since 2004. That riding was recently redistricted and grew significantly in size, and was won by the Conservatives on April 28. Read More Angus said he has not met with Singh since the election. Interim NDP Leader Don Davies said later Wednesday that while it was a tough election, he does not think the party lost touch with its supporters. Davies said he will wait to see what the party base has to say about why the NDP lost so badly. 'The key thing is to engage in a really authentic visioning process with our membership to really explore where we've come from, why we're in the position we're in, but more importantly, to chart a better path forward,' Davies said. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'I don't want to second-guess what our membership and our grassroots and our progressive allies have to say because there's different opinions on why we're in the position we're in.' NDP MP Leah Gazan said the party needs to study why the campaign ended in such a 'catastrophic result. 'We need an independent post-mortem on the election and I hope that the party takes this very seriously,' she told reporters outside the Parliament buildings on Wednesday. RECOMMENDED VIDEO Angus said the party should be less online and more on the ground. He said the NDP should ditch its virtual meetings — which became commonplace during the pandemic — and pointed out that the party was built from the ground up through simple in-person community events, such as bean dinners. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'We became a party very focused on TikTok likes. I'm sure that helps, but TikTok didn't get us elected,' he said. 'We became focused on data. Data is very important. But to be a social democratic movement, you need to go back to reinvigorating the riding associations.' Angus, who said he has no plans to run for the party leadership, made the comments at a press conference on Parliament Hill on Wednesday, which he called to talk about the upcoming G7 summit Canada will host in Alberta later this month. Angus took shots at U.S. President Donald Trump and the person he called Trump's 'MAGA' Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra. He said the Trump administration is an 'authoritarian regime that's on the rise' and poses a threat to Canada. 'We're not talking about creeping fascism here. This is full-on police state tyranny from the gangster president Donald Trump. And this is the man who will soon be crossing our border to attend the G7 meetings in Canada,' he said. Trump recently deployed thousands of National Guard troops to Los Angeles — a decision made without the governor's consent — in response to protests against immigration enforcement raids. Celebrity NHL Editorial Cartoons Toronto Maple Leafs Columnists
CTV News
11-06-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Former MP Charlie Angus says NDP became too ‘leader focused'
NDP MP Charlie Angus speaks during a news conference in Ottawa on Wednesday, March 5, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld OTTAWA — Former NDP MP Charlie Angus says the party suffered in the last election from losing touch with its grassroots and becoming too 'leader focused.' Angus says the election was an 'unmitigated disaster' for the party and it needs to do a lot of soul searching and reconnect with the base to renew itself. The NDP had its worst results in its history following the April 28 election, winning just seven seats, losing official party status and watching former leader Jagmeet Singh lose his own seat in British Columbia. Angus did not run in that election after representing the northern riding of Timmins—James Bay since 2004. Angus made the comments at a press conference on Parliament Hill today, which he called to talk about the upcoming G7 that Canada is hosting in Alberta. He took shots at U.S. President Donald Trump and his ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra, saying the U.S. administration is an 'authoritarian regime that's on the rise' and poses a threat to Canada. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 11, 2025. The Canadian Press
Calgary Herald
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Calgary Herald
'We lost touch': Former NDP MP Charlie Angus calls election an 'unmitigated disaster' for the party
OTTAWA — Former NDP MP Charlie Angus says he does not intend to run for party leadership, but called the recent election campaign 'an unmitigated disaster' for New Democrats. Article content Angus, who did not seek reelection after first entering the House of Commons in 2004, appeared on Parliament Hill on Wednesday to express concerns he has heard from people about U.S. President Donald Trump's upcoming trip to attend the G7 leaders' summit in Alberta. Article content Article content Article content He also shared feedback he heard about the New Democratic Party itself. Article content Article content 'The election was a disaster, unmitigated disaster, for the New Democratic Party,' Angus told reporters. Article content 'I feel two things: One is that people feel that the party lost touch by becoming very much a leader-focused group, as opposed to the New Democratic Party of Canada.' Article content The NDP lost 17 seats in the recent federal election, including the seat of its former leader, Jagmeet Singh, who stepped down from his role. It was the party's worst ever showing in a Canadian election. With only seven MPs, the party was left without official party status in the House of Commons, which curtails the amount of resources a party can receive, making their work in Parliament more challenging. The last time the NDP lost party status was in 1993. Article content Angus says he's heard from people who want to see a three-party system in Canada and that 'we need to rebuild the New Democratic Party.' Article content Article content He pointed to the Liberals' marquee bill, which proposes ushering in a new approval process to fast-track major energy and infrastructure projects, which has been met with concerns from environmental groups and First Nations leaders. Article content That bill, Angus said, was an example of why the country needs a 'progressive left-wing party' at parliamentary committees to ensure that legislation gets passed that serves the country's interests. Article content 'And right now we've lost that ability, he said. Article content 'This issue of renewal of the party is super important. But we have to understand that if we are (a) social democratic party, we have to be a democratic party from the grassroots. We have to re-engage with people. We lost touch, and we have to be honest about that.'
National Post
11-06-2025
- Politics
- National Post
'We lost touch': Former NDP MP Charlie Angus calls election an 'unmitigated disaster' for the party
Article content OTTAWA — Former NDP MP Charlie Angus says he does not intend to run for party leadership, but called the recent election campaign 'an unmitigated disaster' for New Democrats. Article content Angus, who did not seek reelection after first entering the House of Commons in 2004, appeared on Parliament Hill on Wednesday to express concerns he has heard from people about U.S. President Donald Trump's upcoming trip to attend the G7 leaders' summit in Alberta. Article content Article content He also shared feedback he heard about the New Democratic Party itself. Article content Article content 'The election was a disaster, unmitigated disaster, for the New Democratic Party,' Angus told reporters. Article content 'I feel two things: One is that people feel that the party lost touch by becoming very much a leader-focused group, as opposed to the New Democratic Party of Canada.' Article content The NDP lost 17 seats in the recent federal election, including the seat of its former leader, Jagmeet Singh, who stepped down from his role. It was the party's worst ever showing in a Canadian election. With only seven MPs, the party was left without official party status in the House of Commons, which curtails the amount of resources a party can receive, making their work in Parliament more challenging. The last time the NDP lost party status was in 1993. Article content Angus says he's heard from people who want to see a three-party system in Canada and that 'we need to rebuild the New Democratic Party.' Article content He pointed to the Liberals' marquee bill, which proposes ushering in a new approval process to fast-track major energy and infrastructure projects, which has been met with concerns from environmental groups and First Nations leaders. Article content Article content That bill, Angus said, was an example of why the country needs a 'progressive left-wing party' at parliamentary committees to ensure that legislation gets passed that serves the country's interests. Article content 'And right now we've lost that ability, he said. Article content 'This issue of renewal of the party is super important. But we have to understand that if we are (a) social democratic party, we have to be a democratic party from the grassroots. We have to re-engage with people. We lost touch, and we have to be honest about that.' Article content Angus called Davies 'the obvious choice' to serve as the party's interim leader until it holds a leadership race to select a new permanent leader.
