Minister defends attack petition on Bigfoot movie

Alberta’s energy minister is defending her government’s attack on a children’s movie about Bigfoot, calling its anti-oil message inaccurate and “quite offensive.”

Sonya Savage also says it’s critical to push back constantly against any false narrative that casts Alberta’s wellspring industry in a negative light.

Savage is referring to a petition campaign recently launched by the United Conservative government’s so-called "war room" against the animated movie “Bigfoot Family" put out by the streaming giant Netflix.

The film features talking animals and a domesticated Bigfoot character battling an oil magnate who is seeking to blow up an Alaskan wildlife preserve in order to gain easier access to petroleum.

The war room, known formally as the Canadian Energy Centre, is urging followers to send messages to Netflix saying the movie is “brainwashing our kids with anti-oil and gas propaganda.”

The Opposition NDP says picking public fights over children’s movies is a waste of public money and only serves to embarrass the province.