Tories say they’ll boycott Tim Hortons after company nixes Enbridge ads

Conservative politicians had a few things to say Thursday afternoon and took to Twitter to do so after Tim Hortons announced it would no longer be showing Enbridge ads on TimsTV, the company’s in-restaurant channel.

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Tim Hortons announced it wouldn’t be airing Enbridge advertisements any longer after facing complaints and backlash from customers. An online petition from SumOfUs, which received about 28,000 signatures, was a catalyst for the coffee company’s announcement.

“Enbridge’s ad campaign uses attractive actors, cute kids and high production values to hide the real truth – its tar sands project will put ecosystems, salmon and wildlife in danger, create virtually no local jobs, and accelerate climate change. And when oil spills happen, local communities won’t simply be able to board a plane elsewhere,” the petition read.

“A public outcry will let Timmies know that it can’t get away with shilling tar sands without us coming together to stop it.”

The oh-so-Canadian coffee giant isn’t just a caffeine and doughnut heavy weight, but a political one as well. Party leaders are often photographed at local Tim’s shops while on tour or on the campaign trail, chatting with everyday Canadian customers.

As political writer Susan Delacourt pointed out in a 2013 column in the Toronto Star, Prime Minister Stephen Harper skipped a summit meeting of world leaders in 2009 to, instead, hold a press conference at the Tim Hortons headquarters in Oakville, Ontario.

“Harper was there to hail the return of Tim’s from the U.S. as a Canadian, publicly traded company — an unsubtle way to persuade Canadians of Harper’s true patriot love and homespun authenticity,” Delacourt wrote.

“In his remarks, Harper delivered an ode to the doughnut chain and its hallowed place in Canadian iconography. In the space of a couple of minutes, in fact, Harper managed to link this doughnut store to many great things about Canada: hockey, family and even Pierre Berton, chronicler of Canada’s nation-building efforts.”

The abandonment of Enbridge by the beloved coffee chain isn’t sitting well with some politicians, mainly Conservative MPs from Alberta who support Enbridge and the jobs (for their constituents) that the company provides.

The #BoycottTims hashtag was trending on Twitter in Canada Thursday afternoon.

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Other MPs, however, are more inclined to support Tim Hortons’ move.

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