Canada now second to China in public finance for fossil fuels

(Above Ground, Ottawa, 15 June 2020) A recent report from Oil Change International and Friends of the Earth U.S. reveals that Canada has become the second-largest public financier of fossil fuels in the G20, second only to China. On a per-capita basis, Canadian public finance for fossil fuels between 2016 and 2018 was the highest in the world. Nearly all of this support came from federal agency Export Development Canada (EDC). These findings bolster growing public concern about EDC’s support for fossil fuels, which has intensified since Ottawa tasked the agency with shepherding additional aid to the oil and gas industry in response to the COVID-19 crisis. The range of voices calling for Canada to redirect its export finance into low-carbon industries now includes lawmakers, civil society organizations and, as we detail below, sustainability experts. As Parliament prepares further stimulus measures in the coming months, it must ensure that Canada’s economic recovery serves to accelerate rather than delay the transition to a low-carbon future.