Collaborative Proposal Creation
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Ban all fossil fuel advertising, promotion and sponsorship in Canada.
Proposal text
BE IT RESOLVED that all advertising (including paid promotion and sponsorships) for fossil fuels; fossil-fuelled vehicles, machines and tools; and fossil-fuelled travel should be banned in Canada, with exceptions for for public transit, passenger coach services, and agricultural machinery for which there is not yet a viable alternative.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Canadian regulations should mandate disclosure, at the point of sale of such products, of the health and environmental risks of fossil fuel production and use.
Type of Proposal
Public policy that the party would represent
Objective / Benefit
In the age of climate crisis, we must do everything we can to reduce emissions, including reducing both supply and demand as fast as possible.
Currently, fossil fuel (and fossil-fuelled) companies purchase "demand generation" advertising, inflating social desire to consume more than is needed, so they can grow their private profits, at the expense of future generations.
They then use increased consumption as a ‘social licence’ for continued expansion of supply.
Removing the artificially-inflated demand created by advertising, promotion and sponsorships will be one of the ‘lowest-hanging fruit’ in emission reduction, similar to ending tobacco advertising.
If your proposal replaces an existing policy or policies, which one does it replace?
N/A
List any supporting evidence for your proposal
On the success of TAPS (Tobacco ad) bans:
* https://cancercontrol.cancer.gov/sites/default/files/2020-06/m21_7.pdf
* https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3734674/
* https://www.who.int/activities/enforcing-tobacco-advertising-promotion-sponsorship-bans
Bans on FFAPS (Fossil Fuel ads) already introduced:
* France, Amsterdam: https://www.corporateknights.com/leadership/will-more-countries-ban-fossil-fuel-ads/
* The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/media/2020/jan/29/guardian-to-ban-advertising-from-fossil-fuel-firms-climate-crisis
Advocacy groups working worldwide to expand this practice:
* Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment: https://www.stopfossilfuelads.ca/
* European Citizens Initiative: https://banfossilfuelads.org/
* Australia: https://fossiladban.org/
* Other global initiatives: https://www.worldwithoutfossilads.org/projects/
* List of others: https://verbiedfossielereclame.nl/only-words/
Does this proposal affect any particular group and what efforts have been made to consult with the group or groups?
It affects all current and future citizens of the world positively, by reducing emissions from unnecessary demand.
While it will likely affect the financial profits of the fossil fuel industry, I consider the decline of that industry and a transition to others to be a net benefit, so I don’t consider it necessary to consult with them.
Jurisdiction: Is this proposal under federal jurisdiction?
Yes
Please indicate the language the proposal is being submitted in.
English
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This only makes sense. Hope this proposal gets accepted.
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