{"id":13011,"date":"2021-05-17T13:58:13","date_gmt":"2021-05-17T17:58:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/democracywatch.ca\/?p=13011"},"modified":"2025-05-25T07:16:02","modified_gmt":"2025-05-25T11:16:02","slug":"dwatch-calls-on-federal-and-ontario-governments-to-end-fossil-fuel-financing-by-canadas-banks-and-other-financial-institutions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/democracywatch.ca\/fr\/dwatch-calls-on-federal-and-ontario-governments-to-end-fossil-fuel-financing-by-canadas-banks-and-other-financial-institutions\/","title":{"rendered":"DWatch calls on federal and Ontario governments to end fossil fuel financing by Canada\u2019s banks and other financial institutionsDWatch calls on federal and Ontario governments to end fossil fuel financing by Canada\u2019s banks and other financial institutions"},"content":{"rendered":"

Group joins launch of international campaign by 50+ organizations in 19 countries<\/span><\/h4>\n\n

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:<\/b>
Monday, May 17, 2021<\/p>\n\n

OTTAWA \u2013 Today, Democracy Watch joined 50+ organizations in 19 countries<\/a> in launching a new campaign call<\/a> to stop fossil fuel financing by banks and other financial institutions. Already more than 7,000 Canadians have joined DWatch\u2019s letter-writing campaign<\/a> and\/or signed its Change.org petition<\/a>, calling on Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland and Ontario Premier Doug Ford to work together with all parties and make three key changes that will expose, and end, fossil fuel financing by Canada\u2019s Big Banks and other key financial institutions, and empower financial consumers and retail investors to have a much greater say in what financial institutions are doing with their money.<\/p>\n\n

According to research by the Rainforest Action Network and other organizations, 3 of Canada\u2019s Big 5 Banks are among the top 12 banks worldwide financing the fossil-fuel industry, and the other 2 are in the top 25 banks. Click here<\/a> to see their report.<\/p>\n\n

It was difficult for the organizations to find out this information, and Canada\u2019s Big Banks are denying it is accurate. The information also doesn\u2019t include other Canadian financial institutions, such as insurance companies, that support the industry, nor does it cover other major industries that create the pollution that is causing the climate crisis.<\/p>\n\n

In April\u2019s federal government budget<\/a>, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland didn\u2019t include any measures to require the Big Banks or other financial institutions to disclose their climate-related investments. The government only committed to talk to provincial and territorial governments about disclosure<\/a> (p. 175). Canada\u2019s Big Banks and other Canadian big businesses are resisting requirements<\/a> to disclose these investments. When the UN\u2019s Net-Zero Banking Alliance<\/a> was launched on April 21 , VanCity Credit Union<\/a> was the only Canadian financial institution<\/a> signed on to the initiative.<\/p>\n\n

The international Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures<\/a> (TCFD) has recommended requiring disclosure, as did an Ontario government task force<\/a> in January 2021 (Recommendation 41<\/a>, pp. 68-71). Canada\u2019s Big Banks and other financial institutions are not required to lend and invest in actually sustainable businesses that will create long-term jobs that don\u2019t pollute or harm Canadians and their communities.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cCanada\u2019s big banks and other financial institutions wouldn\u2019t be able to operate without our money, and so they shouldn\u2019t be allowed to keep details of their fossil fuel industry loans, investments and insurance secret from us,\u201d<\/em> said Duff Conacher, Co-founder of Democracy Watch, which has led the bank accountability movement in Canada in the past 25 years. \u201cThe federal and Ontario governments must require all financial institutions to disclose their fossil fuel financing, to finance only actually sustainable big businesses, and establish two citizen groups that will empower financial consumers and retail investors to have more say over how financial institutions are using their money.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n

Democracy Watch Stop Fossil Fuel Financing Campaign calls for 3 key changes which either the federal government (through federal laws) or the Ontario government (through securities laws) can make. The changes that would require disclosure of fossil-fuel investments by banks and other key financial institutions; require them to finance only actually sustainable big businesses, and empower financial consumers and investors to ensure their money is used to support sustainable, job-creating businesses:<\/p>\n\n

  1. Require banks, insurance, trust and mutual fund companies, and other financial institutions, to disclose their lending, investments and insurance for the fossil fuel industry, and all other major carbon-producing industries (coal, heavy manufacturing), by company as recommended by the international Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures<\/a> (TCFD);<\/li>\n
  2. Add the Equator Principles<\/a> and other real sustainability rules to Canada\u2019s and Ontario\u2019s laws to require banks and other financial institutions to lend, invest and provide insurance only to actually sustainable big businesses, and;<\/li>\n
  3. Establish a Financial Consumer Organization<\/a> (FCO) using this innovative method that has been proven effective in the U.S., and an Individual Investor Organization<\/a> (IIO) using the same method. Together these groups will exponentially increase the information available to financial institution customers and individual investors about how financial institutions use and invest their money, and will also exponentially increase the power of financial consumers and individual investors to have a say in the use of their money, and to push for actually responsible, sustainable investing.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n

    – 30 –<\/p>\n

    FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:<\/strong>
    Duff Conacher, Co-founder of Democracy Watch
    Tel: (613) 241-5179
    Cell: 416-546-3443
    Email:     info@democracywatch.ca<\/a><\/p>\n

    Democracy Watch\u2019s Stop Fossil Fuel Financing Campaign<\/a> and Bank Accountability Campaign<\/a> and Corporate Responsibility Campaign<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n

    Group joins launch of international campaign by 50+ organizations in 19 countries<\/span><\/h4>\n\n

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:<\/b>
    Monday, May 17, 2021<\/p>\n\n

    OTTAWA \u2013 Today, Democracy Watch joined 50+ organizations in 19 countries<\/a> in launching a new campaign call<\/a> to stop fossil fuel financing by banks and other financial institutions. Already more than 7,000 Canadians have joined DWatch\u2019s letter-writing campaign<\/a> and\/or signed its Change.org petition<\/a>, calling on Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland and Ontario Premier Doug Ford to work together with all parties and make three key changes that will expose, and end, fossil fuel financing by Canada\u2019s Big Banks and other key financial institutions, and empower financial consumers and retail investors to have a much greater say in what financial institutions are doing with their money.<\/p>\n\n

    According to research by the Rainforest Action Network and other organizations, 3 of Canada\u2019s Big 5 Banks are among the top 12 banks worldwide financing the fossil-fuel industry, and the other 2 are in the top 25 banks. Click here<\/a> to see their report.<\/p>\n\n

    It was difficult for the organizations to find out this information, and Canada\u2019s Big Banks are denying it is accurate. The information also doesn\u2019t include other Canadian financial institutions, such as insurance companies, that support the industry, nor does it cover other major industries that create the pollution that is causing the climate crisis.<\/p>\n\n

    In April\u2019s federal government budget<\/a>, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland didn\u2019t include any measures to require the Big Banks or other financial institutions to disclose their climate-related investments. The government only committed to talk to provincial and territorial governments about disclosure<\/a> (p. 175). Canada\u2019s Big Banks and other Canadian big businesses are resisting requirements<\/a> to disclose these investments. When the UN\u2019s Net-Zero Banking Alliance<\/a> was launched on April 21 , VanCity Credit Union<\/a> was the only Canadian financial institution<\/a> signed on to the initiative.<\/p>\n\n

    The international Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures<\/a> (TCFD) has recommended requiring disclosure, as did an Ontario government task force<\/a> in January 2021 (Recommendation 41<\/a>, pp. 68-71). Canada\u2019s Big Banks and other financial institutions are not required to lend and invest in actually sustainable businesses that will create long-term jobs that don\u2019t pollute or harm Canadians and their communities.<\/p>\n\n

    \u201cCanada\u2019s big banks and other financial institutions wouldn\u2019t be able to operate without our money, and so they shouldn\u2019t be allowed to keep details of their fossil fuel industry loans, investments and insurance secret from us,\u201d<\/em> said Duff Conacher, Co-founder of Democracy Watch, which has led the bank accountability movement in Canada in the past 25 years. \u201cThe federal and Ontario governments must require all financial institutions to disclose their fossil fuel financing, to finance only actually sustainable big businesses, and establish two citizen groups that will empower financial consumers and retail investors to have more say over how financial institutions are using their money.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n

    Democracy Watch Stop Fossil Fuel Financing Campaign calls for 3 key changes which either the federal government (through federal laws) or the Ontario government (through securities laws) can make. The changes that would require disclosure of fossil-fuel investments by banks and other key financial institutions; require them to finance only actually sustainable big businesses, and empower financial consumers and investors to ensure their money is used to support sustainable, job-creating businesses:<\/p>\n\n

    1. Require banks, insurance, trust and mutual fund companies, and other financial institutions, to disclose their lending, investments and insurance for the fossil fuel industry, and all other major carbon-producing industries (coal, heavy manufacturing), by company as recommended by the international Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures<\/a> (TCFD);<\/li>\n
    2. Add the Equator Principles<\/a> and other real sustainability rules to Canada\u2019s and Ontario\u2019s laws to require banks and other financial institutions to lend, invest and provide insurance only to actually sustainable big businesses, and;<\/li>\n
    3. Establish a Financial Consumer Organization<\/a> (FCO) using this innovative method that has been proven effective in the U.S., and an Individual Investor Organization<\/a> (IIO) using the same method. Together these groups will exponentially increase the information available to financial institution customers and individual investors about how financial institutions use and invest their money, and will also exponentially increase the power of financial consumers and individual investors to have a say in the use of their money, and to push for actually responsible, sustainable investing.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n

      – 30 –<\/p>\n

      FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:<\/strong>
      Duff Conacher, Co-founder of Democracy Watch
      Tel: (613) 241-5179
      Cell: 416-546-3443
      Email:       info@democracywatch.ca<\/a><\/p>\n

      Democracy Watch\u2019s Stop Fossil Fuel Financing Campaign<\/a> and Bank Accountability Campaign<\/a> and Corporate Responsibility Campaign<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Group joins launch of international campaign by 50+ organizations in 19 countries FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:Monday, May 17, 2021 OTTAWA \u2013 Today, Democracy Watch joined 50+ organizations in 19 countries in launching a new campaign call to stop fossil fuel financing by banks and other financial institutions. Already more than 7,000 Canadians have joined DWatch\u2019s letter-writing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13011","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/democracywatch.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13011","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/democracywatch.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/democracywatch.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/democracywatch.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/democracywatch.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13011"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/democracywatch.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13011\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18422,"href":"https:\/\/democracywatch.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13011\/revisions\/18422"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/democracywatch.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13011"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/democracywatch.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13011"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/democracywatch.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13011"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}