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‘The time is now’ for Albertans to be heard on oil and gas: Chamber

Feb 21, 2019 | 4:17 PM

The time is now, says the CEO of the Red Deer and District Chamber of Commerce, for Albertans to let their voice be heard when it comes to the oil and gas industry.

Rick More says that’s the best way to ensure whoever wins the upcoming elections will have a clear mandate from the people.

“It’s election time. That’s really the only way you can lobby governments. Once they’re in power, it’s tougher,” he said Thursday at a luncheon featuring a talk from the president of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP). “If you can get a mandate going in, and hold them to task, it has a lot more meat.”

More says if Albertans want hospitals and schools, revenues and royalties from oil and gas are crucial to obtain.

“Albertans are starting to find out we have a voice, and that it’s more than just the activists, who were the only ones ever heard from,” he said. “Go to the polls with a mandate in mind, and align yourself as a citizen to understand the policies a little more. A lot of times, the rest of Canada thinks this is our problem, but it’s all of Canada’s problem, the resources are just here.”

CAPP president Tim McMillan, a former Saskatchewan Energy Minister, says his organization has painted a vision for Albertans which outlines how they believe the goals of doubling investment and growing employment are achievable.

“The first is market access. As the owners of the resource, the provincial government has a key role to play in ensuring we get market access,” he explained.

“The second is the regulatory system. We have an inefficient regulatory system that needs to be streamlined while maintaining the high environmental and regulatory standards we need to do it in a far more efficient way.”

McMillan said the third pillar is around fiscal responsibility, and making sure capital investments are made here rather than elsewhere, meanwhile achieving tax reform in order to be more competitive.

“The fourth piece is on climate. We have a model of continuous improvement and a track record of success, but when we have inefficient climate policies, you lose on both sides,” he went on. “Alberta loses the opportunity, and the world loses the benefits of responsibly-produced oil and gas, and are forced to get it from jurisdictions that aren’t.”

McMillan added that initiatives like the recent United We Roll convoy, which he saw while in Ottawa, is a strong example of how Albertans need to tell their personal oil and gas stories.

“It was powerful; powerful that they’ve gone across Canada and shared this narrative community by community, and on the national stage,” he said. “It is crucial that Canadians continue to speak out about the importance of these issues because we can take nothing for granted. These sorts of activities are crucial for keeping all Canadians informed.”

As far as the frustration that Albertans and Canadians are feeling around the topic of oil and gas, McMillan said he feels the same way in response to a man who asked why he wasn’t elsewhere promoting oil and gas, rather than to Albertans who are already in favour.

“My approach is to get our house in order at home before we go to Japan and tell them about how we produce our energy. If we don’t have a pipeline that can get our oil to Japan, there’s no sense selling it in Japan,” he said.

“I’m seeing more of a coalescence amongst Canadians. Over the last couple years with Trans Mountain, they gave a deadline, we had two provinces that were in a battle over it, and Canadians got stronger and stronger in their support for it, and that’s really encouraging.

“I don’t think we should ever shy away from this debate. It’s good for canada, we’re proud of how we produce and Canadians are will be proud of us too.”