(bbc) -- European Union officials are expected to vote on draft legislation that would label Canadian fuel as more polluting than oil from other parts of the world.
Oil extracted from "oil sands" is regarded by some as energy intensive and environmentally damaging.
The vote comes as native groups are suing the provincial and federal governments for breaching a treaty designed to preserve their way of life. Officials are set to vote on the matter on 23 February.
The proposal from the EU's executive would include oil sands - also known as tar sands - in a ranking designed to inform buyers about the most carbon-intensive options. The oil industry has argued the proposed legislation could create an unreasonable administrative burden.
Canada has some of the largest oil sand reserves in the world and its extraction is making the country and its people wealthy.But for the people of the Beaver Lake Cree Nation it comes at a cost: their traditional way of life. The Beaver Lake Cree people live in the largest boreal forest in the world, in the province of Alberta.