In a new low even for the NDP-Liberals, MP Charlie Angus has tabled a bill calling for innocent Canadians to be jailed for their pro-oil and gas views.
The bill in question, Bill C-372 (the Fossil Fuel Advertising Act), was tabled by NDP MP Charlie Angus on February 5 with little coverage thereafter, despite the immense threat it poses to Canadians.
“Today, I am proud to rise and introduce a bill that would make illegal false advertising by the oil and gas industry,” Angus declared, further stating that the oil and gas industry was literally “killing people” with their “disinformation”.
“We know that big oil has done years of disinformation and interference and false claims about the damage it is doing to the planet, but it is also killing people,” Angus frantically claimed before parliament, citing “toxic fumes” and “asthma attacks in elderly people” as justification for his bill.
If passed, as per Sections 6-8 of Bill C-372, it will be illegal to promote a fossil fuel or the production of a fossil fuel in a manner that the government deems “is false, misleading or deceptive” regarding the impact (or lack thereof) of fossil fuels in relation to “health or environmental effects”.
And in case there was any doubt about what this is, Section 8 makes it very clear that “It is prohibited for a person to promote a fossil fuel or the production of a fossil fuel in a manner that states or suggests that the fossil fuel, its production or its emissions are less harmful than other fossil fuels, their production or their emissions” or to suggest that “the practices of a producer or of the fossil fuel industry would lead to positive outcomes in relation to the environment, the health of Canadians, reconciliation with Indigenous peoples or the Canadian or global economy”.
Think the oil and gas industry is good for the Canadian economy? Jail. Think there are green ways to extract and use oil and gas with minimal impacts on the environment. Jail. Think that oil and gas are in any way positive? Sounds worthy of a prison sentence to the NDP-Liberals.
Indeed, according to Section 19 (General Offences), anyone found guilty of contravening Section 8 will be liable to a fine of $500,000 and/or a 2-year-long prison sentence.
What makes this even scarier, however, is that what constitutes “promotion” is so broad that anything that could potentially “influence and shape attitudes, beliefs and behaviours” regarding the oil and gas industry could constitute an offence. In other words, something as innocuous as an “I <3 Oil & Gas” bumper sticker could be considered an offence.
Of course, there are some exceptions to what the bill stipulates. For instance, Canadians can still express their pro-oil and gas views through “literary, dramatic, musical, [and] cinematographic” means. So, if you’ve got a few million dollars sitting around to make a movie expressing your views, you’re good to go. Free speech prevails.
In response to Bill C-372, the Conservative Party has reaffirmed its pro-Canadian stance on oil, further demanding that the Trudeau Liberals reel in their radical NDP bedfellows—unlikely, given that the Liberals are quite comfortable housing their own eco-radicals.
“Justin Trudeau and his NDP coalition partners’ anti-energy laws are crippling our natural resource sector and ensuring dependency on foreign dictatorships by shutting out our industry,” a Conservative Party statement reads. “… Conservatives call on the Trudeau Liberals to vote against NDP Bill C-372, repeal anti-energy laws, fast-track approval processes for new energy projects and bring home powerful paycheques for Canadians.”
As it stands, it is still legal to utter the above statement. But for how long?
