---- Funding police groups

 

Across the country, a disturbing trend has emerged. Big Oil has been funding police through corporate donations to police foundations.

Some of Canada’s largest energy companies have been financing police foundations to the tune of at least $7.9 million. A portion of these corporate funds have been funnelled to purchase militarized equipment for police forces. Corporations funding policing include LNG Canada, TC Energy (Coastal GasLink pipeline), Enbridge, Encana, Talisman and others.

I’m asking you to join me in telling the Minister of Revenue to close the loophole on fossil fuel corporations funnelling money into police forces. People across the country, led by Indigenous and Black communities, are demanding scrutiny of police budgets. 

Will you send a letter to the Minister responsible for the Canada Revenue Agency, calling on her to:  1) Compel police foundations to publicly disclose the entirety of their corporate funding to date;  2) Investigate the inherent conflicts of interest of corporate executives sitting on the boards of police foundations that are disbursing money from their corporations to police forces; and 3) Put a stop to Big Oil and other corporations funding policing by closing the loophole that lets police foundations give money to policing entities.  Big Oil isn’t just fueling the climate crisis, it’s fueling the crises of racism and police brutality, too.

Dylan Penner, Council of Canadians

Ottawa