Taking on RBC (time-sensitive)

We already know the truth about RBC: the largest funder of fossil fuels in the world, a major investor in the Coastal Gas Link pipeline, all being hidden behind a slick greenwashing campaign that’s so egregious, even the Canadian government is investigating the bank over it. [1,2]

RBC’s PR team is on the defensive, trying to pretend they’re not a climate villain. [3] It’s clear that they’re feeling the pressure – and now we have a chance to ramp it up.

This weekend, RBC is sponsoring the RBC Open and the RBCxMusic events in an effort to present themselves as good corporate citizens. And they’ve invited Alanis Morissette – a fierce defender of the environment – to headline the main event on Saturday. [4]

Alanis is an iconic Canadian artist, and she’s been an activist for decades, opposing efforts to drill in the Arctic, running her tour buses on biodiesel, even narrating a documentary on the climate crisis called “The Great Warming”. [4,5]

So why would she perform for a climate villain like RBC? We can’t say for sure, but it’s likely she simply doesn’t know about their actions. If we can get our message through, Alanis could become an ally in the fight against RBC’s funding of climate collapse.

We’ve launched a petition calling on Alanis to stand with Wet’suwet’en Land Defenders and the planet’s ecosystems by making a statement during her performance on Saturday. Can you sign now?

Picture it: a top-tier Canadian artist calling out RBC’s climate destruction, right from their own stage, surrounded by their branding. It would be a powerful rebuke of RBC, almost guaranteed to make headlines – and it would cement Alanis’s legacy as a defender of the planet.

But we need to make sure she gets the message. Major artists like Alanis have layers of managers and producers sheltering them from the public; it’s not as simple as just picking up the phone. Our only way to reach her in time is to go public, and go big. A massive petition could get her attention directly, and may also get picked up by the entertainment media, ensuring she – and her fans – learn the hard truth about RBC.

It’s not often we have someone in a position to do so much good who also aligns so closely with our values. This is a unique moment, and we’re determined not to miss it. We have everything in place to make this go big. We’re ready to support the petition with media outreach and social media blasts; we’re connected to a coalition of campaign organizations who can amplify the push; we can even get people on-site to hand-deliver the petition. The only thing that’s missing is your signature.

Let’s give RBC a day they won’t soon forget, and give Alanis the support she needs to take another bold stand for climate justice. Add your name and spread the word today.

Link: https://act.leadnow.ca/alanis-RBCopen/

Sources:

[1] https://rbcrevealed.com/
[2] https://www.corporateknights.com/responsible-investing/competition-bureau-rbc-greenwash-probe-banks/
[3] https://www.ctvnews.ca/business/protesters-across-canada-demonstrate-against-rbc-s-fossil-fuel-funding-1.6338875
[4] https://www.rbccanadianopen.com/2023/03/23/alanis-morissette-to-headline-rbcxmusic-concert-series-at-2023-rbc-canadian-open/
[5] https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/presse/pr_post_story/2008/EN/03A-DV-PRESSE_STO(2008)05-26(29854)_EN.pdf
[6] https://www.thedeadtrees.com/alanis-morissette-environmentalist/