Anti-greenwashing legislation causes confusion for Canada’s energy sector

New anti-greenwashing legislation is causing concern among corporations in Canada’s energy, partner Tyson Dyck explained to CBC in an interview.

In June 2024, the federal government made changes to Canada’s Competition Act with the goal of preventing companies from “misrepresenting the environmental benefits of their products or practices”. The changes also gave more power to the Competition Bureau to reprimand companies that could not support their claims of environmental practices with concrete evidence.

Read: Competition Bureau finalizes greenwashing enforcement guidelines

However, critics say that the legislation is too broad and leaves companies vulnerable to legal action.

Many companies in the energy sector across the country have been "very concerned" about the changes, Tyson said to CBC, adding that “the business community expected clarity about how to make environmental or climate-related claims.”

Instead, they got "confusion," he said. "And I think they struggled interpreting the new provisions."

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