The Canadian Advertising Standards Council (ASC) thinks itโs just fine for the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) to run advertisements describing tar sands as โessentially like yogurt,โ dismissing a complaint by the Sierra Club ofย Canada.
Even though CAPP lost its nerve (or found some integrity) and withdrew the ad as soon as the Sierra Club lodged its complaint, the ASC still considered the Sierra Clubโs objections and โthe complaint was not upheld,โ ASC Communications Manager Danielle Lefranรงois saidย today.
Yet, if you look, feel or smell them in large or small amounts, tar sands donโt seem at all like a breakfast topping. โThe recent deaths of ducks in (tar sand) tailings ponds clearly and accurately demonstrated the tailings are toxic and definitely not yogurt,โ said John Bennett, Sierra Club Executive Director.
SCC alleged that CAPP had violated provision 1 of the Canadian Code of Advertisingย Standards:
โ(a) Advertisements must not contain inaccurate or deceptive claimsโฆ. [โฆ] the concern is not with the intent of the sender or precise legality of the presentation. Rather, the focus is on the message as received or perceived, i.e. the general impression conveyed by theย advertisement.โ
But, notwithstanding that tar sands are, uh, sandy and full of dangerous chemicals such as arsenic, mercury and poly aromatic hydrocarbons, CAPP and the people who set โstandardsโ for Canadian advertising think the yogurt analogy is perfectlyย acceptable.
If this is the standard of accuracy deemed appropriate, itโs no wonder that many people are still confused about climateย change.
