Updated at 7:38 PM: After having deployed a banner in front of the main entrance of the Bell Center, Greenpeace Canada activists displayed signs inside the Bell Center. Photos available on the Greenpeace media library.
(MONTREAL) – Greenpeace activists denounced the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) for its investment in fossil fuels at the Montreal Canadiens’ opening game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the first official game with the RBC logo on the Habs jersey. The activists deployed a banner saying “#NOLOGO, RBC finance la crise climatique” (#NOLOGO, RBC is financing the climate crisis) in the area outside where fans were invited to participate in pre-game activities [1]. The logo placement is part of a new partnership between the team and RBC that has drawn a wave of criticism from fans. Greenpeace activists at the game covered the bank’s logo with a black cross on their jerseys in protest over how RBC is trashing the planet and the Habs jersey.
“I put on my first skates when I was 3 years old and received my first Canadiens jersey when I was 6,” said Louis Couillard, Greenpeace Canada’s Mobilization Campaigner, who attended the game. “The Habs and hockey are not just a sport to me, but an integral part of my identity and culture, as they are for many people. How could I accept that the logo of RBC, the fifth worst bank in the world in terms of financing fossil fuels, will stain the jersey so dear to my heart? That’s a big no: no to RBC and its oil staining my jersey, no to fueling the climate crisis, and no to trampling the rights of Indigenous peoples. The way RBC treats the planet is not how I want to leave it to my daughter. ”
Since 2016, RBC has provided $264 billion to the fossil fuel industry. In 2021, RBC increased its funding to fossil fuels by $23 billion, doubling its funding from the previous year [2]. RBC supports destructive fossil fuel projects, such as the Coastal Gaslink (CGL) pipeline on unceded Wet’suwet’en Nation territory, even though the Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs have never given free, prior and informed consent for this project. Drilling for the CGL pipeline under the Wet’suwet’en sacred river began shortly after the announcement of the partnership between RBC and the Montreal Canadiens [3].
“In 2019, RBC’s support for fossil fuels was more than 250 times greater than its support for charities. These numbers are absurd, and show that RBC is trying to buy a squeaky-clean public image while continuing to destroy the planet” [4] concluded Mr. Couillard.
Greenpeace Canada is calling on RBC and other Canadian banks to stop financing fossil fuels and to uphold, respect and affirm the rights of Indigenous peoples [5].
ENDS
Notes to editors:
[1] Photos are available on the Greenpeace media library. Greenpeace is also calling on supporters to denounce RBC on social media using #GoHabsGo and #NoLogo.
[2] Greenpeace Canada Blog: Canada’s Big Five banks have increased their support for fossil fuels by 70% by 2021
[3] More information on the Yintahaccess.com website.
[4] Greenpeace Canada Report: Your money can’t buy our love : Fossil Fuels, Climate-Concerned Youth and Reputational Risk in the Canadian Banking System
[5] Greenpeace has written to the Montreal Canadiens’ CEO, Geoff Molson, to express their concerns.
For more information, please contact:
Laura Bergamo, Communications Officer, Greenpeace Canada
[email protected]; +1 438 928-5237
