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Ongoing

Putting an end to fossil fuel subsidies

Quebec and Canada must stop subsidizing a sector that is destroying our planet and threatening our future.

The challenge 

Between 2018 and 2020, Canada funded the fossil-fuel industry to the tune of $14 billion. That's nearly 15 times more than it contributed to renewable energy and far more than the average investment of the other G20 countries.

In Quebec, though we are not a fossil fuel producer, we allocated more than $300 million to support hydrocarbons in 2018.

Considering all the effects of the climate crisis - the burden that it has and will have on public finances, it is unacceptable that we are collectively financing the activities of the fossil fuel industry.

“  It's high time for governments to stop bailing out the fossil fuel industry, to shift public support out of the past and towards the future--public health, social programs and renewable energy  ”

Émile Boisseau-Bouvier

Climate Policy Analyst

Équiterre's work 

Équiterre has been investigating and shedding light on fossil fuel subsidies since 2015.

We've been working in collaboration with various partners to disseminate numerous reports on this embarrassing yet devastating situation for our climate, our health and our environment. We've been actively mobilizing citizens and urging Canada and Quebec to stop subsidizing fossil fuels.

In 2021, Équiterre celebrated an important win when Canada announced that it would end international fossil fuel subsidies. Since then, we've been putting pressure on the government to keep its election promise to also put an end to subsidies in Canada.

In Quebec, Équiterre is campaigning to urge leaders to quickly pass legislation that will end subsidies to oil and gas companies. We're against any compensation that could be paid to fossil fuel companies affected by the government's announced end to oil and gas development in the province.

Our impact

The federal government has pledged to end international public funding of the fossil-fuel sector by the end of 2022.

29 591 people signed the "No more gifts to oil and gas companies!" petition

14 940 people signed the "End Fossil Fuel Subsidies in Canada" petition

5 reports published to highlight the economic burden of fossil fuels

Project history

2022

May

Équiterre and 112 other civil society groups have signed the letter welcoming the Government of Canada's commitments to end subsidies and public funding of fossil fuels. However, let's not forget that these commitments do not mean that the federal government will end its support for fossil fuels in a way that is necessary for Canada to meet its climate goals.

For this reason, we urge the government to show real leadership by going beyond the commitments made to date and eliminating all subsidies, government funding and other forms of financial support from the Government of Canada and federal Crown corporations to the oil and gas sector by the end of 2022.

2020

Report:"Canada's Federal Fossil Fuel Subsidies in 2020"

2018

Rapport Report  "Risking it all: how export developments Canada's support for fossil fuels drive climate change" along with an awareness and mobilization campaign

Survey Canadians want to end public subsidies for oil and gas companies

Groundbreaking Report Quebec government pays $300 million per year to support hydrocarbons

2017

A clear message

At the One Planet Summit (an international summit on climate) in Paris, the world's largest multilateral bank announced that it would stop investing in fossil fuels at the end of 2019.

2016

Mobilization campaign

Petition "Canada must eliminate fossil fuel subsidies!”

Related content 

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Project team

Analyst, Climate Policy and Ecological Transition

See profile

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