Climate Policy Engagement Analysis
Climate Policy Engagement Overview: The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) demonstrates policy engagement that is oppositional to science-aligned policy. CAPP undertakes advocacy to weaken or eliminate ambitious climate regulations at the federal level in Canada. It continues to strongly advocate in favor of oil and gas sector and undertakes direct advocacy for incentives, including oil and gas infrastructure lock-in.
Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: CAPP appears to have a broadly negative top-line positioning on climate action. CAPP removed most of its climate-related communications from the website following the Competition Act Amendments in June 2025. However, when the website was accessed in April 2024, CAPP appeared to cast uncertainty on the science of climate change, stating that greenhouse gases (GHG) “can” contribute to climate change. The group does not support regulatory action on climate change in Canada, as evidenced by CEO statements in March 2025 and December 2024. InfluenceMap could not find any recent evidence of CAPP’s support for a 2050 net-zero target or the goals of the Paris Agreement.
Engagement with Climate-Related Regulations: CAPP maintains an active and oppositional stance on most climate regulations in Canada. The group campaigns for the repeal of climate regulations in the oil and gas industry, mainly the Oil & Gas Emissions Cap. In a December 2024 letter to Canada’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change, CAPP called the policy “unconstitutional”, while in its August 2025 submission to federal pre-budget consultation it pushed the government for “a definitive statement that the cap has been abandoned.” In a September 2025 joint industry letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney, CAPP called for the repeal of Canada’s federal industrial carbon pricing policy. It also opposed the methane regulation for the upstream oil and gas sector in February 2024 comments to the government, and opposed the Clean Electricity Regulation in November 2023 comments.
Positioning on Energy Transition: CAPP opposes the energy transition and promotes new investments in oil and gas in Canada. In a September 2025 joint industry letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney, CAPP called for policy measures to increase oil and gas production, including overhaul of the Federal Impact Assessment Act and repeal of the West Coast tanker ban. The group’s submission to the federal pre-budget consultation in August 2025 advocated for fossil fuel subsidies, through the Atlantic Investment Tax Credit, to support oil and gas investments. CAPP’s communications often portray Canadian fossil fuels as ‘cleaner’ and that it could help in lowering global emissions. For example, CAPP President, Lisa Baiton claimed in a press release in August 2023 that Canada’s “track record of lowering emissions while growing production is a demonstration of why Canadian oil and natural gas should be the barrels of choice for the world’s energy needs”.
CAPP advocates for government support for carbon capture and storage (CCS), often for CCS to support fossil fuel production. For example, in August 2025, CAPP’s submission to the federal government advocated for the CCUS Investment Tax Credit to include eligibility for enhanced oil recovery projects – projects in which CO2 storage is used to support oil production.
This summary was last updated in Q4, 2025