Fossil fuel advocates labelled environmental policies and Indigenous Rights as 'problem'

A document prepared for a closed-door fossil fuel advocacy session earlier this year labelled Canada's climate, nature protection and Indigenous Rights policies as a "problem" and environmental groups as "opponents."

The document, reviewed by The Narwhal, was part of a presentation scheduled for January 2026 and was prepared by advocacy groups Energy United and Resource Works.

It was for a session where fossil fuel groups were to discuss shaping public perceptions in favour of the oil and gas industry, according to materials downloaded from a coordinating group's website by The Narwhal and originally uncovered by Greenpeace Canada.

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"The damage is real & intentional,"

the document says of environmental advocacy in Canada, adding, "Every major 'problem policy' we fight traces back to an ENGO-authored framework or idea."

An ENGO is an environment-focused non-governmental organization.

The document lists examples of "problem policies," including the federal emissions cap, Canada's commitment to protect 30 per cent of its lands and water by 2030 and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

It also highlights funding for Coastal First Nations and their stance against lifting the oil tanker ban in northern B.C., calling it another "problem policy."

"So, what can we do about it?" the document asks, proposing moving "from defence to offence" by launching "counter-campaigns," "calling out hypocrisy" and filing "regulatory complaints" against environmental groups like the David Suzuki Foundation.

"They want to be on the attack," Keith Stewart, senior energy strategist for Greenpeace Canada, said of oil and gas groups in an interview.

Stewart is an author of the Greenpeace report "Manufacturing Petro-Populism," published Oct. 8, which looks into pro-fossil fuel organizations.

The document was one of eight presentations scheduled for a January "funders session" organized for a group called Canadian Energy Prosperity, according to an agenda published on the website of a coordinating network, Energy In Action.

The Narwhal viewed the document on the Energy In Action website. After The Narwhal emailed questions to Energy In Action on Oct. 5, the website became password protected the following day.

Energy In Action, the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, Energy United and Resource Works did not respond to requests for comment.

The document also singled out the federal Local Journalism Initiative, a program that funds news reporting in underserved communities.

It included a screenshot of a story by journalist Matt Simmons, whose work has been supported by the initiative, about being followed by private security while reporting on a pipeline through Wet’suwet’en lands.

"It's clear that they see some journalists as opponents,"

Stewart said of the pro-fossil fuel groups behind the document. "They don't want anyone looking too closely at what they're actually doing."

Greenpeace Canada claims the Energy In Action network "appears to build on a long-standing public outreach program" by the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers.

Energy United founder Tim McMillan was president of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers for seven years and is a registered federal lobbyist.

Stewart Muir, the president of Resource Works, formerly lobbied for a pro-fossil fuel group called The Task Force For Real Jobs, Real Recovery, which lists the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers as a "supporter."

Requests for comment to McMillan and Muir's LinkedIn pages were not returned.

Greenpeace Canada's report says the Energy In Action network operates "under the guise of independent and grassroots entities" but coordinates industry-linked activities to "shift public discourse and actively lobby against renewable energy initiatives."

It said the network's "hidden funders" invest in campaigns targeting a wide cross-section of Canadian demographics using lobbying, advocacy and advertising.

The network's activities deploy "climate disinformation, covert influence campaigns and attacks against activists," the report said.

Shane Gunster, a professor at Simon Fraser University who studies oil and gas populism, said the documents are part of an industry that has long tried to shape public opinion.

Gunster said his research shows pro-oil-and-gas messaging has shifted from expensive public relations campaigns to using social media to mobilize supporters.

He said he has seen greater use of "pop-up groups" that focus on a particular issue in a specific location for a limited time.

"Groups that are not explicitly connected to particular funders or industry itself can do things that industry itself would find challenging to do or to say,"

he said.

He said the funders tied to the activities Greenpeace uncovered are supporting particularly aggressive messaging.

With files from The Narwhal