Welcome to the first of four Q&As with CAPE’s program directors, where we gain behind-the-scenes insight into their programs! Here is our interview with Leah Temper, PhD, who leads the Fossil Fuel Ads Make Us Sick campaign.
How has your campaign or program built momentum with our community’s support?
The Fossil Fuel Ads Make Us Sick Campaign has been spearheaded and continuously informed by physicians and the broader health community. The campaign has the support of 30 of the largest and most influential health organizations in the country! It is making headway in countering dangerous climate disinformation and restricting the promotion of climate-destroying fossil fuels.
CAPE doctors and allied health professionals support the campaign in several ways: as spokespeople & lobbyists, by signing and sharing our calls to action, and through high-impact storytelling & video creation such as Past-President Dr. Joe Vipond´s excellent “Debunktion Junction” dispatches from COP28. Would you believe that our petition on the ad-ban private member’s bill has reached close to 10,000 signatures? This is a clear sign that this public engagement from CAPE is working!
Most recently, over 23 groups (11 health-focused) in Ottawa signed on to a letter urging the City to review its advertising policy with regards to fossil fuel ads within the municipality. The campaign has also inspired the BC Greens to table a private members bill in that province restricting fossil fuel ads and greenwash. We are leading by example with health evidence and this is opening new pathways for advocacy while strengthening our cause.
What challenges have you encountered, and how are you overcoming them?
Our campaign is ruffling feathers and leading to significant pushback from the oil and gas lobby. Following MP Charlie Angus’ tabling of Bill C-372, the Fossil Fuel Advertising Act, a well-funded counter-campaign has been launched to undermine our efforts and obscure the health messaging of our campaign. While the central arguments of this pushback are nested in misinformation and aimed at fuelling rage, CAPE ‘s health professionals remain focused in centering the indisputable health message that fossil fuel advertising is intricately connected to our collective well-being.
What keeps you motivated to deliver on your campaign or program objectives?
Our work is not only making waves in Canada — it is inspiring and mobilizing health workers and activists around the globe to work on stemming fossil fuel promotion and greenwashing. We have been approached by groups from three continents (South Africa, the Netherlands and the USA) who want our insights on launching health-focused ad campaigns!
In April, I had the opportunity to attend an international meeting in Brussels that brought together people who are addressing advertising by high-polluting industries. I presented the first day of the conference in a session on successes within this movement. Through this networking, we also learned that Ireland recently tabled an ad-ban bill similar to our private member’s bill and have been asked to lend our expertise to advancing a health focused ad ban at the EU level. These wins and waves of support on a global scale are revealing that we are gaining traction and momentum to hold the practice of greenwashing advertisement to account for its negative impacts to our shared health and future.
What’s on the horizon that our community can get behind?
We want to draw your attention to three key initiatives:
We are making serious headway on greenwashing. Amendments we pushed for in the Competition Act that explicitly underline the need to back up environmental claims with tests are being reviewed by the finance committee as we speak. The Commissioner of Competition came out publicly in support of our amendments, referencing CAPE´s submission. The other day I had the opportunity to appear as a witness to Canada’s Standing Committee on Finance where I argued that we need to strengthen the greenwashing provisions in the Act (Bill C-372) but that further complementary action is necessary.
Children are amongst those most vulnerable to disinformation. Unfortunately they are increasingly being targeted by companies and fossil fuel interests with disinformation campaigns online and in school curricula. We will be working with For Our Kids to take a stand against these practices as commercial advertising has no place in our schools. It is not wise or just for fossil fuel companies to be the ones educating our kids about the environmental and health problems that their industries have caused.
Bill C-372, An Act Respecting Fossil Fuel Advertising, completed First Reading on February 5th and we anticipate that it will be tabled in the fall session. We will be ramping up our communications with MPs throughout the spring, summer and fall and need your help to engage with your representatives to get their support!
Leah Temper, PhD
Economic and Health Policy Program Director