OTTAWA – Green Party Leader Elizabeth May (MP, Saanich-Gulf Islands) is calling out the Alberta NDP government for broadcasting misleading claims about the Trans Mountain pipeline in its multi-million dollar “Keep Canada Working” advertising campaign.
“Canadians deserve to know the facts about the costs of the Kinder Morgan pipeline,” said Ms. May. “The Notley government’s ‘Keep Canada Working’ ads exaggerate the economic benefits and hide the many risks.This pipeline is a liability any way you look at it.”
The misleading claims of the “Keep Canada Working” campaign ads include:
“The Trans Mountain Pipeline will create thousands of well-paid jobs.” Not true: according to Kinder Morgan, once construction is complete the pipeline will only create 90 permanent jobs.
“Pipelines are the safest way to transport oil.” Not true: the only way to transport bitumen, which is a solid, through a pipeline is mixing it with a toxic diluent. When that mixture spills it’s impossible to clean up. The safest way to transport bitumen is as a solid by rail.
Ms. May said that virtually all of the pipeline “benefits” cited in the Keep Canada Working campaign are either misleading or untrue. “I am often asked: ‘Doesn’t Canada have truth in advertising laws?’ We do, but the Canadian Code of Advertising Standards doesn’t apply to government paid advertising for political issues. The Alberta ad campaign demonstrates that it should.”
The Green Party of Canada is producing a series of videos to counter the Keep Canada Working misinformation. They can be viewed at https://www.greenparty.ca/en/keep-canada-working