Meet the groups spending the most on social media ads attacking the carbon tax
CBC
This story is a collaboration between the Investigative Journalism Foundation and CBC Saskatchewan.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says the next election will be the "carbon tax election," but his campaign isn't the only one calling for an end to Canada's carbon pricing policy.
The Investigative Journalism Foundation (IJF) analyzed social media advertising over the last year to see who is echoing Poilievre's "axe the tax" mantra. Apart from politicians and political parties, the biggest spender is an outfit most Canadians have never heard of.
A social media page called Energy United describes itself as a grassroots campaign in support of Canada's oil and gas industry. Despite its claims of being grassroots, the campaign has links to the largest fossil fuel industry advocacy group in the country, and it is spending big on social media ads denouncing federal carbon pricing.
The campaign spent between $135,200 and $174,435 on 65 Facebook and Instagram ads that ran between Nov. 1, 2023, and Oct. 31, 2024, making it the fourth-highest spender on carbon tax ads in the past year. Meta estimates Energy United's ads have been seen by up to 16.5 million people.
Some other notable spenders were the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, which describes itself as a "not-for-profit citizen's group dedicated to lower taxes, less waste and accountable government." It is the seventh-highest spender on carbon tax ads in the past year.
The three biggest spenders on carbon tax-related ads on Meta's platforms in the past year were Pierre Poilievre's Facebook page, which spent between $287,600 and $379,539, followed by the Ontario PC Party ($191,000 to $240,560) and the Conservative Party of Canada ($152,600 to $201,825).
Shane Gunster, a Simon Fraser University professor of communications, said pro-oil groups that are spending big on ads panning the policy are not only capitalizing on political messaging denouncing the carbon tax, but have "laid the political and emotional terrain for the Conservatives to exploit [it] so effectively."
He said the groups are "as involved in making it possible for Poilievre and the Conservatives to make this a 'carbon tax election' as they are in taking advantage of conservative efforts to do that."
Energy United's ads feature language like, "Let's push to make things in 🍁 more affordable for you and your family this summer. Help us get the carbon tax axed," and, "🛶 A boat is a hole in the water you throw your money into. The carbon tax is a hand in your pocket taking money from you."
According to its website, the Energy United campaign was created by a federally-registered non-profit called the Maple Leaf Institute (MLI), which is registered to lobby the federal government.
Though the Maple Leaf Institute has little presence online, it's led by a team with strong links to oilsands advocacy group the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) and the Saskatchewan Party.
The institute's four directors are Tim Harold McMillan, Cole David Schulz, Samantha Yaholnitsky and Dale Richardson.
McMillan was the president and CEO of CAPP from 2015 to 2022. Before joining CAPP, McMillan was a minister of energy and resources and minister of rural and remote health in Saskatchewan.
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