Climate Lobbying Overview: Suncor appears to have positive and negative positions on its engagement with climate policy. The company continues to support a sustained role for oil and gas in Canada’s energy mix.

Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: Suncor's top-line messaging on climate policy appears to have changed from positive to mixed in 2022. The company’s website, when accessed in January 2022, had clearly acknowledged the science of climate change and supported a global net-zero target by 2050. However, these positions are no longer on the website when accessed in August 2022, and Suncor only specifies its operational net-zero targets. In June 2022, the company advocated for support for “technology and innovation” related to Canada’s net-zero goal, as disclosed in its federal registration of lobbying activities; however, it is still unclear if Suncor supports a net-zero by 2050 target. Suncor has stated support for the goals of the Paris Agreement in its ESG Disclosure Index 2022 from June 2022.

While Suncor has stated support for climate policies in its 2022 Climate Report, it specified that policies should be “pragmatic” and promote economic prosperity. Additionally, in the company’s federal lobbying registration from July 2022, it appeared to advocate for “individual solutions” for provinces over a Canada-wide federal regulation of GHG emissions.

Engagement with Climate-Related Regulations: Suncor appears to be engaged on various strands of climate regulations, albeit with limited transparency or details regarding its positions. In Suncor’s 2021 CDP response, the company did not support a carbon tax, instead proposing carbon intensity standards for fuels in lieu of taxes. Suncor’s lobbying registration in Alberta from June 2022 revealed that the company supports the development of renewable energy development for the electricity sector.

Suncor has reported lobbying on GHG emission legislations in British Columbia and Ontario in 2022, however, the positions on these policies are not disclosed. Suncor’s registration in the Quebec lobbyist registry disclosed that the company had engaged on Quebec’s cap-and-trade system and advocated that any future modifications to the program should be competitive.

Positioning on Energy Transition: Suncor appears to strongly advocate for the continued expansion of the role of oil and gas in the energy mix. In its 2022 Climate Report, published in June 2022, Suncor stated that Canadian oil has “unparalleled potential” to ensure long-term energy supply in the transition to a net-zero economy and supported a “thoughtful and balanced” energy transition. Further, in a tweet from February 2022, Suncor’s CEO at that time, Mark Little supported fossil gas infrastructure, particularly the TransMountain pipeline project, stating that 2021 British Columbia floods were a “reminder” of the critical nature of pipeline infrastructure for energy access.

Evidence from Canada’s various lobbying registries show that Suncor is actively and strongly advocating to policymakers in favor of the oil and gas industry. For instance, the company’s July 2022 federal lobbying registration disclosed that Suncor had advocated for policy support for fossil fuel investments and market access for energy. In this registration, Suncor also disclosed that it is engaged on the Canadian government’s decision to ban fossil fuel subsidies as well as the proposed CCS investment tax credits, although the positions on these are undisclosed.

On the energy transition, there appears to be some support for measures related to decarbonization. A blog from April 2022 supported the increased use of electric vehicles (EVs). In British Columbia, Suncor has advocated for investments for EV fast charging, as revealed in the province’s lobbying registry. A blog from March 2022 supported investments in hydrogen infrastructure, however, the company did not specify whether hydrogen production would exclude unabated fossil gas production. As per the website, accessed in August 2022, Suncor appears to consider CCS as “critical technology” to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement. Suncor’s 2022 Climate Report also supported the federal government’s announcement of the investment tax credit for Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS).

Industry Association Governance: Suncor has disclosed a list of Canadian industry associations it holds memberships to in its 2022 Climate Report and 2021 Sustainability Report. However, the company gives no details on the industry associations’ positions on climate change policy, or Suncor’s engagements with them. Suncor has not published a review of its industry associations’ alignment on climate policy. Suncor holds memberships with several associations that lobby negatively on climate change, such as American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers, Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP), and International Association of Oil and Gas Producers (IOGP). Suncor also holds a membership in Board of Governors of CAPP.

InfluenceMap collects and assesses evidence of corporate climate policy engagement on a weekly basis, depending on the availability of information from each specific data source (for more information, see our methodology). While this analysis flows through to the company’s scores each week, the summary above is updated periodically.

This summary was last updated in Q1 2023.