After an interim decision was leaked earlier this week, Ad Standards Canada says it will not make public the final outcome of its investigation into allegations of greenwashing against oil and gas advocacy group Canada Action Coalition.

The interim decision, which is dated Jan. 30 but was released to the complainants and Canada Action Coalition only earlier this month, unanimously found that Canada Action Coalition gave an “overall misleading impression that B.C. LNG is good for the environment, amounting to greenwashing.”

In a statement, Canada Action Coalition said it is appealing the decision.

But the outcome of that appeal will not be released to the public, Ad Standards said.

“Due to egregious violations of confidentiality in this case, by the leaking of this decision which was not final, we will only be advising the advertiser of the outcome of the appeal,” president and CEO Catherine Bate wrote in a statement. “We will not be able to report the results of that decision publicly, or to comment further.” The Tyee is supported by readers like you Join us and grow independent media in Canada

That move isn’t sitting well with those calling for action on greenwashing by the oil and gas industry.

Leah Temper, health and economic policy program director with the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, or CAPE, said Ad Standards’ decision to withhold its findings in the current case “further undermines their credibility.”

“If ads are being found to be false and misleading, what is the mechanism for correcting the public record?” Temper said. “We’re in these key critical moments and policymakers and the public are being swayed by these ads.”

Temper added that the only way the public is likely to know the outcome of the appeal and the council’s final decision is if the ads continue to run.

While CAPE released the interim decision on its website, it didn’t make the complaint. Temper said the issue was raised by “multiple complainants,” who remain anonymous.