Special Thanks to; Jennifer Orum..reporting
Canadian Classic MG Club/Canadian XK Jaguar Register
Ethanol Free Fuel Petition Status Closed Apr 17.24
The federal online ethanol-free petition (e-4735) made available on the House of Commons’ website in the petitions section managed to get relatively good support compared to other petitions listed on the website. e-4735 was opened for signing December 19, 2023 and closed for participation April 17, 2024. The petition was initiated by Ian Smale from Victoria (who is with the WPC Chrysler Club which is a member of the SVABC)
The issue was sponsored to become an online House of Commons petition by Ed Fast, Conservative MP for Abbotsford. A quick review of recent petitions on the House of Commons petition website shows that the ethanol petition had 5324 signatures. This is a relatively high number compared to most other petitions on the website, with only a few petitions with higher support, including ones related to topics such as immigration, foreign students’ work permits, foreign policy, child sex abuse, animal rights, gun control.
The petition read as follows:
“We, the undersigned, residents of Canada who own classic and vintage automobiles, call upon the Government of Canada to once again make ethanol-free gasoline in a high-octane grade(s) available at gas pumps in Canada for collector car owners, plus owners of small gasoline engines & marine engines.”
It appears BC is a centre of support for the ethanol-free issue. Not only was the federal petition initiated and sponsored by two British Columbians, but it is interesting to see the distribution of signatures by province:
BC 2045
Ontario 1097
Alberta 908
Manitoba 375
Saskatchewan 230
Nova Scotia 200
Quebec 192
New Brunswick 148
Newfoundland & Labrador 75
PEI 28
NWT 2
Yukon 2
[Note the total adds up to 5,302 not the 5,324 persons the House of Commons website indicates participated in the petition.]
Clearly, this distribution does not reflect the relative populations or the likely number of classic car owners in each province/territory. It’s more likely that the relatively high number of signatures from British Columbia came from the effective campaign among BC car clubs/organizations to have their members participate in the petition.
Note..Bob K
Ian took it to John Carlson NAACC for cross Canada support
SVABC reached out to members and friends for support in BC
Of Course, hoping for larger numbers, BC did well. Special Thanks to all