Canadian oil companies buy ads to pressure politicians before the election

WINNIPEG, Manitoba, Aug. 1 (Reuters) – Three Canadian oil companies are buying newspaper ads ahead of the fall federal election to pressure the country's politicians to support the struggling industry.

Opposition by environmental and aboriginal groups has blocked new pipeline projects in Canada and the United States that are needed to bring Canadian crude to refineries. Congested pipelines have forced Alberta's largest oil-producing province to cut production this year to support its prices.

Senior executives at Canadian Natural Resources Ltd, Cenovus Energy Inc. and MEG Energy Corp., the country's largest oil and gas producer, have signed a letter urging them to take into account the 30% reduction in energy intensity. emissions from the oil sands over the last 20 years. The letter was due to appear in Canadian newspapers on Thursday.

"We urge you to join us in urging Canadian leaders of all political stripes to help our country prosper by supporting an innovative energy sector," the statement said, noting that the Canadian oil industry's limitation could lead to greater use of more polluting fuels from other countries.

The oil sands of Alberta have been at the center of global efforts by environmental groups to stifle fossil fuel-based energy production, claiming that they weigh particularly heavily on the environment.

"We are part of the solution (of climate change), the global solution," said MEG general manager Derek Evans in an interview. "The fact that it's a barbecue and a picnic of choice for politicians (the commercials) is encouraging Canadians to get out there and talk about the role that Canada could play to solve the global problem of greenhouse gas emissions. "

The advertisement does not identify the specific actions it wants, but the oil industry is strongly opposed to the laws imposed by the Liberals of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, which ban oil tankers in the US. northern British Columbia and are changing the regulatory process for resource projects.

According to polls, the Liberals and Conservatives are on the right track before the October elections.

Evans said other oil companies had been asked to endorse the ads in the newspapers and that they had supported the message; they had decided to release it on their own.

The former NDP government of Alberta, which had been defeated this spring, had tried a similar approach to convince Canadians of the benefits of extending the Trans Mountain Pipeline.

Canadians' views of the petroleum industry vary considerably from region to region, ranging from unconditional support to the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan, which are home to the world's third largest crude oil reserve. a stronger opposition in Quebec. (Report by Rod Nickel in Winnipeg, Manitoba Edited by Marguerita Choy)