Network claims to have reached 100 million people with its pro-fossil fuel messaging through advertising, media and lobbying

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 8, 2026

Toronto — A new Greenpeace Canada investigation, Manufacturing Petro-Populism: Exposing the secretive network of front groups shilling for Big Oil in Canada has identified a coordinated network of more than 30 pro-fossil fuel organizations and the unknown group of funders  that is  influencing public opinion and energy policy in Canada, while presenting  as independent and, in some cases, grassroots voices.

Among the investigation’s key findings:

  • 30+ organizations: The network spans advocacy and “grassroots” groups, think tanks, media outlets, technology companies, lobbying groups, and educational initiatives.
  • 100+ million claimed reach: A funder-session recap claims the network reached more than 100 million people, and generated more than 50 million monthly impressions.
  • Targeted influence: Network members target different audiences, including women, youth and students, Indigenous communities, educators and policymakers.
  • Oil industry connections: The investigation traces institutional links between Energy in Action (EIA) and the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP), while public disclosures show fossil-fuel-industry funding for multiple network members.
  • Climate disinformation & influence operations: Examples of climate disinformation, attacks against climate activists, and covert influence operations distributed by some organizations within the network were documented by Greenpeace Canada.

The investigation details the activities of the Energy in Action (EIA) network and documents its relationship with Canadian Energy Prosperity (CEP), a group of funders whose identities remain undisclosed. Materials found by Greenpeace Canada include EIA network members reporting campaign results, strategies, operations, and future plans during CEP funder sessions held at Calgary’s Petroleum Club in July 2025 and January 2026. The EIA network began operations in early 2025, roughly ten months after new federal anti-greenwashing rules took effect and some of Canada’s largest oil companies scrubbed their websites of environmental claims.

“At a time when strategic misinformation campaigns are increasingly distorting political debates in Canada and around the world, Canadians have a right to know who is trying to influence them and who is paying for that influence,” said Keith Stewart, Senior Energy Strategist at Greenpeace Canada. “Organizations are free to advocate for the policies they support. The problem is when coordinated campaigns are presented as independent or grassroots voices without transparency about who is footing the bill.”

Greenpeace Canada emphasizes that coordination between organizations is neither unusual nor inherently problematic. The issue identified is the lack of transparency around the network and its funding. Greenpeace Canada is calling on the members of the Energy in Action network to reveal their funding sources and to stop engaging in climate denial and disinformation campaigns.

“What we found gives Canadians a rare look behind the scenes at how pro-oil groups and companies operate through a coordinated network,” said Abde Amr, Senior Investigations Strategist at Greenpeace Canada. “These are the network’s own materials in which they celebrate impacting policy and show their funders the different methods they use to shape Canada’s energy conversation.”

The investigation was conducted using open-source investigative techniques. The materials examined were publicly accessible and required no credentials or authentication.

Greenpeace Canada reached out to the EIA network for comment on October 5 using the email address listed on their platform, but had received no response as of publication.

Read the full investigation: Manufacturing Petro-Populism: Exposing the secretive network of front groups shilling for Big Oil in Canada

Additional information about the investigation is available on the campaign page.

ENDS

Media contact:
Patou Oumarou, Communications Campaigner, Climate and Energy [email protected], +1 418 431 0263


Keith Stewart, Senior Energy Strategist, Greenpeace Canada
Abde Amr, Senior Investigations Strategist, Greenpeace Canada