The head of the UN says oil and gas ads should be banned. Where does Canada stand?

The head of the United Nations this week called for the end of fossil fuel advertising — an international twist on an existing domestic fight.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a speech Wednesday in New York that some in the oil and gas industry have «shamelessly greenwashed» their activities.

«Many governments restrict or prohibit advertising for products that harm human health, like tobacco. Some are now doing the same with fossil fuels,» he said.

That's the approach advocated by NDP MP Charlie Angus, who has put forward a private member's bill that would ban «misleading, deceptive» fossil fuel advertising. The bill would outlaw marketing that downplays climate-altering emissions and health hazards associated with the industry, or promotes fossil fuels in ways that are false, misleading or deceptive. Those found to have violated the proposed law could be subject to fines or imprisonment.

The bill falls outside what's known as the order of precedence and is unlikely to come up for debate in the House of Commons.

«We see the oil and gas sector in Canada is becoming increasingly provocative and defiant,» Angus told CBC's. «They aren't doing their part. They have no intention of doing their part. And they know they're burning the planet — they've known all along.»

California, itself a major oil and gas producer, filed a lawsuit last year alleging that oil companies have deceived the public about the risks of fossil fuels and seeking a compensation fund to pay for future damage caused by climate-related disasters in the state.

«So, a simple solution is what we did with big tobacco. Say, 'No, these are actually threats to human health, what you're promoting. You're not offering solutions. And so you have to come clean,'»