One of our mandates as a provincial government is to promote Canada as the supplier of choice on an international platform. In Alberta we truly understand the value of investing in our own oil and gas sector, not only for the benefit of our provincial economy but also for the individuals who rely on our resource industry to provide for their families. That is why the creation of The Canadian Energy Centre (CEC) will help play a key role in our pursuit of global recognition while helping Albertans meet their bottom line. Also known as Alberta’s “Energy War Room”, our government is making an investment in the future of our natural resource industry.
The Canadian Energy Centre’s mandate is to promote Canada as the supplier of choice for the world’s growing demand for responsibly produced energy. It is an independent provincial corporation that is primarily supported by the Government of Alberta’s industry-funded Technology, Innovation and Emissions Reduction (TIER) Fund. Of the $30 million allocated for the Canadian Energy Centre, $20 million will be generated by the upcoming Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction system.
The Canadian Energy Centre is also standing up for the 533,000 Canadian jobs supported by the energy sector and continuing to fight for ethically sourced products. As Albertans we know that we have some of the best labour standards in the world, combined with sustainably produced resources. It is important that we work to emphasize these successes on an international level.
The CEC will push back against the coordinated campaign to discredit the Canadian energy sector in real time and unapologetically defend our energy industry, our workers and our high environmental, social and governance standards. Whether it was a result of fly in fly out celebrity virtue signalers or american funded NGOs like Tides, misinformation campaigns have contributed to millions—if not billions—of lost investment, jobs, royalties and revenues for our province. Using a mix of long form narratives, social media, proactive reporting and paid advertising campaigns the CEC will deliver the real story of Canadian energy on a national and international level. The CEC has three units that will work together to tell Canada’s energy story: A rapid response unit to issue swift responses to misinformation about Canadian oil and natural gas. A pro-active energy literacy unit that creates original content to elevate the general understanding of Canada’s energy sector and help the country take control of its energy story, and a data and research unit that centralizes and analyses data targeting investors, researchers, and policy makers.
For ridings like Drayton Valley-Devon this will hopefully signal renewed vigor in our local industries and business on a wide spectrum and across many areas.
— MLA Mark Smith