After any election, there’s always a need to get back to work in order to perform the hard tasks that will improve the lives of Albertans.
This kind of positive change requires all of us to get together around a handful of key issues. Here’s what I think some of those key issues are, and what I think every Albertan needs to work toward in the coming days and months.
Alberta needs:
- The infrastructure that allows our energy products to find a reasonable path to world markets
- The leadership to allow our province’s energy workers, their families and their communities to enjoy some growing prosperity
- A strong commitment to our Indigenous populations that they have the option to strengthen their own families, be effective stewards of their communities and defeat, once and for all, the generational poverty that’s held them back because of a lack access to prosperity through the natural resources economy, and
- A laser focus on Alberta – and all of Canada – to achieve greater prosperity through support for our world-leading energy and natural resources sector that’s already benefited Canadians across the country.
Sure, some of this may sound like a cliché. However, anyone who’s watched the energy and natural resources discussions in Canada over the last several years knows a solution will take cooperation and resolve.
But it’s not impossible. From Canada Action’s recent public opinion polling results, it’s clear the majority of Canadians are motivated to see the market access situation dealt with. With the existence of a new Provincial mandate, it’s useful to review Canadian sentiment.
Polling by Research Co for Canada Action in mid-March suggests 68 per cent of respondents thought Canada should make a greater effort to export our energy, given the high standards associated with our product, the growing interest in secure sources of supply and the fact that demand for liquefied natural gas (LNG) is projected to grow 76 per cent by 2040.
You read that right – LNG demand is projected to grow by 76 per cent by 2040.
Fully 81 per cent agreed countries ought to source the food, energy and minerals they need from responsible, democratically-aligned jurisdictions, and 80 per cent felt we should strike a balance between investing in renewable energy sources like wind and solar, and continuing to develop Canada’s oil and natural gas resources.
In short, as recently as a couple of months ago, we found Albertans and Canadians largely united in the belief that the world wants our product, and that our product needs to be more widely available globally.
Let’s all participate in the discussion moving forward, and let’s pull together and work at fixing these key issues! The timing is right.
Cody Battershill is a Calgary realtor and founder / spokesperson for CanadaAction.ca, a volunteer-initiated group that supports the Canadian natural resources sector and the environmental, social and economic benefits that come with it.
