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The lobby group that represents Canada’s oil sector has registered for the first time as a political third party, stepping up its advocacy efforts ahead of October’s federal election.

The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) told Postmedia it’s not aligned with any specific party. But changes to the Canada Elections Act mean it must register if it’s to discuss, during the writ period, issues that could be associated with a particular candidate.

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“Given that energy remains one of the top issues being discussed by political leaders, we registered as a third party to allow us to represent our members on key issues that impact the oil and natural gas industry,” media relations manager Jay Averill said in an email.

The move comes after three Alberta-based oil companies took out ads in major newspapers earlier this month.

Canadian Natural Resources, Cenovus Energy and MEG Energy co-signed an open letter urging Canadians to consider the 30 per cent reduction in emission intensity from the oilsands during the past 20 years.