Sebastian Vettel’s understanding of Canada’s oil sands matches my knowledge of his high-performance race car.

Next to none.

So let me provide a crash course on an industry that is a world leader in environmental performance and social responsibility.

Vettel isn’t the first jet setting celebrity to set their sights on the oil sands, ignoring their own carbon-heavy lifestyles.

One of the most notable was Leonardo DiCaprio, the private jet flying, giant yacht sailing Hollywood A-lister who routinely demonstrates how out of touch he is when it comes to the environment.

Vettel didn’t win Montreal’s Grand Prix, but he lapped DiCaprio for hypocrisy. A few things right out of pole position, as it were.

Many of Canada’s Indigenous people embrace and support the oil and gas sector.

Canada’s oil sands producers have spent $15 billion with Indigenous businesses since 2012.

And Indigenous communities are big investors too. Fort McKay and Mikisew Cree First Nations’ 49 per cent ownership interest in the East Tank Farm at Suncor’s Fort Hills Mine is one of the largest Indigenous investments in Canadian history.

Dale Swampy, President of the National Coalition of Chiefs, points to oil and gas as key to community success and prosperity.

“To say that we are all against development is ludicrous. We’re in favour of prosperity,” he says.

Swampy says Indigenous participation is key to help make sure best environmental practices are in place.

The largest companies in the oil sands have set a joint target to reach net zero emissions by 2050.

Companies have doubled the land reclaimed since 2009, reaching over 8,000 hectares in 2019, with more projects underway. Oil sands producers have also collectively planted more than 25 million trees.

And as far as land use goes, as of 2018, energy development encompassed less than 2% of Alberta.

Since 2000, carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects in Canada, some tied to the oil sands, have safely stored more than 44 million tonnes of CO2, or the equivalent of taking more than 9.4 million cars off the road.

Mr. Vettel’s car(s), obviously, not included.

Oil and gas producers are Canada’s largest spenders on energy cleantech, spending an average of $1B per year.

Mr. Vettel also seems unaware the energy crisis now facing the world, as Russia gives a master class on how to weaponize energy.

The International Energy Agency projects that oil and gas will still supply 50 per cent of the global energy mix in 2050.

Mr. Vettel may prefer that supply come from Saudi Arabia, the owner of Saudi Aramco, which sponsors Mr. Vettel’s team and thus helps make his multi-million-dollar lifestyle possible.

But Saudi Arabia is not exactly a pillar of democracy. Nor does it demonstrate the commitment to human rights, labour rights, Indigenous opportunity, and continuous environmental improvement that Canada does.

Where you get your energy from matters now more than ever. But as we know, an empty barrel makes the most noise.

We aim to provide Mr. Vettel with facts about Canada’s oil sands, so his next pronouncements don’t ring so hollow.

Tom Olsen is the CEO of the Canadian Energy Centre

The unaltered reproduction of this content is free of charge with attribution to Canadian Energy Centre Ltd. 

What do more than 1.2 million Americans have in common?

They’ve all visited the Canadian Energy Centre’s campaign website, CanadaIsTheSolution.com, which promotes Canada as the answer to energy woes in the US.

It’s an exciting time at the CEC.

As the world recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, we are moving fully into marketing territory, a key objective that had been envisioned when we launched nearly three years ago.

Three wide-reaching campaigns are underway or poised to launch.

As of this writing, we have a Look North campaign that speaks directly to U.S. citizens about the importance of energy security. They want an energy source that is environmentally responsible, respects workers, promotes Indigenous opportunity and can help reduce global GHGs. The solution is Canadian natural gas and oil that comes from a friend an ally, right next door.

The response has been huge.

Recent public opinion polling, commissioned by the CEC, shows a vast majority of Americans, from Alaska to Florida, California to New York, favour oil and gas from Canada to supplement what can be produced domestically. How many? Three out of four Americans agree that Canada should fill that critical role while fewer than one in ten are opposed.

Americans know who their friends are and who they trust to help keep the lights on in a time of global turmoil.

We also just launched a cross-Canada campaign.

You may have seen some of our ads on national news channels or during the Stanley Cup Playoffs – more than 13 million Canadians already have.

This campaign supports our mandate to promote Canadian energy as the preferred choice to meet the growing demand for responsibly produced energy – both in Canada and around the world. It comes at a time when Canadians are thinking more and more about the need for energy security and increasing our supply at home.

The campaign is built on the value Canadians place in ensuring any product they consume or purchase – whether that be coffee, diamonds, cosmetics, clothing – is sourced by countries meeting the highest environmental, human rights and labour standards.

Oil and gas shouldn’t be any different, and our campaign points out the tremendous upside to Canada as a supplier to the world.

Renewables are a vital part of the energy mix and the technology will continue to improve and evolve.

The International Energy Agency says oil and natural gas will still make up more than 50 per cent of the global energy mix in 2050, with renewables making up 26 per cent.

And global oil and gas demand will stay strong for decades, particularly in emerging economies in Asia that rely on coal to power their growth. Meanwhile, Europe is eager to find alternatives to Russian oil and gas to keep energy prices in check and ensure a safe, secure supply of the resources they need.

Instead of devolving that responsibility to regimes with questionable environmental and human rights records, or to those who use their resources as leverage for geopolitical advantage, Canada should step up.

That’s a theme that will be showcased in a targeted campaign into Germany later this month, aimed at the leaders of the world’s most powerful economies (France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada) during the annual G7 meeting outside Munich.

Canada can help with European energy shortages and keep Europeans from being held hostage to weaponized energy – but we need the national political will here at home.

We’ve witnessed a global shift over the last year when it comes to how the world’s global energy mix is viewed.

Some countries were left scrambling when the unpredictable nature of wind and sun failed to meet expectations.

Even those with among the most stalwart environmental policies were forced to consider reopening mothballed coal-fired power plants to ensure the stability of their grids.

Reliable energy is critical to a functioning society.

And where that energy comes from has never been more important. That’s why the CEC is talking about the importance of Canadian energy in the United States. In Europe. And, of course, in Canada.

Tom Olsen is chief executive officer of the Canadian Energy Centre.

The unaltered reproduction of this content is free of charge with attribution to Canadian Energy Centre Ltd.  

With national division and polarity in Canada increasing, now more than ever our country’s national broadcaster needs to take a fair and balanced approach to current events. Here’s your chance to help the CBC do its job.

The CBC, for some reason, has seen fit to help fund and then air a documentary by a self-described anarchist from the US who doesn’t seem to much like “so-called Canada” and promotes violence against the police.

Check out “Beat the Pig.” Nasty Stuff.

So this guy, Franklin Lopez, is heading up production of a documentary called “Yintah,” about efforts to run the legally approved, environmentally responsible Coastal GasLink pipeline straight into the ground, no pun intended.

This production team has a track record of imbalance. A previous short film on the dispute, Invasion, ignored that all 20 elected First Nations along the 670-kilometre pipeline route (including five Wet’suwet’en bands) support the project.

That’s a pretty key piece of information to leave out.

Lopez describes himself as hands-on when it comes to his documentary subjects.

“I like the term accomplice more than ally. I like to say that I’m in cahoots with the folks there rather than just being somebody who takes orders,” he said.

A balance in reporting is even more vitally important, as CGL was the target of a domestic terror attack last week.

Read here what’s it like to be attacked with an axe.

We aren’t laying blame for the violence, we’ll leave that to the policing authorities now investigating.

But a key mandate of the Canadian Energy Centre is to challenge false or incomplete narratives about Canadian energy.

Media and anti-oil and gas activists can portray universal Indigenous opposition to energy projects, which isn’t even close to the case.

And bands are put off by interlopers fighting on their behalf.

The Wet’suwet’en First Nation put out a formal response to the Coastal GasLink violence.

“We want everyone to know that the people of our First nation do not support anyone who protests in this way. These protesters do not represent us, or our values, and they are grossly misrepresenting our traditional laws and customs.

“We call on those who are inviting violent non-Wet’suwet’en people into our territories to withdraw the invitations. We call on their supporters, wherever they are, to stop funding criminal protests and to stop trespassing on our traditional lands.”

Members of the Gidimt’en Clan of the Wet’suwet’en took to the National Post in December to decry the outside interference.

“Our clan territories include the area where the Coastal GasLink pipeline crosses the river we call Wedzin Kwa,” they wrote. “We are deeply hurt and angered by the conduct and statements of some of our community members and others who claim to be defending our lands and laws against the pipeline.

“Our concerns are not about the pipeline itself. Some of us support it, some of us do not and some are neutral. Our issue is that our traditions and way of life are being misrepresented and dishonoured by a small group of protesters, many of whom are neither Gidimt’en nor Wet’suwet’en, but nonetheless claim to be acting in our name to protest natural gas development.”

The CBC’s publicly posted Journalistic Standards and Practices says coverage of civil disturbances must strive to be balanced, and not involve active participation by those documenting events.

So here’s your chance to help make sure the CBC attains that goal.

Click here to send a letter to the CBC calling for a fair and accurate portrayal of events surrounding both the support of and opposition to CGL.

The CBC strives to reflect Canadians and Canadian issues.

So let’s give it a hand.

Tom Olsen is chief executive officer of the Canadian Energy Centre.

The unaltered reproduction of this content is free of charge with attribution to Canadian Energy Centre Ltd.  

Four hundred academics signed a letter to the federal government, condemning the next big thing in emissions reduction.

Every one of them is wrong.

Their target was Canada’s world leading, GHG-busting carbon capture and storage initiative.

CCS has been hailed as a key to net zero by 2050.

The Alberta government kicked it off in a big way with close to $2 billion in investment more than a dozen years ago.

The results of that global-leading action have been substantial. Coming out of that initial investment are proven projects such as the Quest CCS facility that has safely captured and stored more than six million tonnes of CO2 in its six years of operations (the equivalent of taking about 1.3 million cars off the road).

There’s the Alberta Carbon Trunk Line, the world’s largest CO2 pipeline, which reached the landmark of safely storing one million tonnes of CO2 just one year after beginning operations.

The Weyburn CCS project in Saskatchewan has also safely stored more than 36 million tonnes of CO2 over the last 20 years, the equivalent of taking more than 7.8 million cars off the road.

Take that, bogus claims that this technology isn’t proven.

To emphasize the point, the International Energy Agency recently pointed to CCS technology as a key piece of Canada’s ability to reduce emissions from oil and gas development while maintaining its position as a major global supplier beyond 2050.

“We will still need oil and gas for years to come,” said IEA executive director Fatih Birol. “I prefer that oil is produced by countries… like Canada who want to reduce the emissions of oil and gas.”

Industry has shown it’s up to the task. Case in point – through the Oil Sands Pathways to Net Zero alliance, companies who operate about 95 per cent of Canada’s oil sands production have committed to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 to help Canada meet its climate goals.

Yet from the fossil-fuel heated offices of the Ivory Tower, activist academics dismiss the proof that CCS is and will be much more of the solution to emissions reduction.

In fact, several companies have announced interest in plans for new large scale CCS projects and Alberta has begun accepting proposals to set up CCS hubs throughout the province.

Unfortunately, instead of listening to these experts, these academics parrot bogus talking points and hold up renewables as the only way forward.

Renewables do have promise and will be a key part of the energy mix going forward, but they’ve shown they’re nowhere near ready to take on a bone-chilling Canadian winter.

During much of December’s prairie cold snap, approximately 90 per cent of electricity produced came from fossil fuels. In contrast, solar made up less than one per cent of total generation.

Other major producing jurisdictions understand that demand for oil and gas will be strong for decades.

New oil and gas megaprojects are underway around the world in places like Russia, Brazil, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates as demand continues to increase, even with the growing role of renewable energy sources.

Canada should be the supplier of choice to the world, with its leading commitment to human rights and the environment, and its expertise in CCS.

Ottawa would be wise to ignore the plea from academics who appear detached from the energy reality the rest of us are living.

Tom Olsen is chief executive officer of the Canadian Energy Centre.

The unaltered reproduction of this content is free of charge with attribution to Canadian Energy Centre Ltd.  

You might have heard a thing or two about the Canadian Energy Centre.

But as we mark our first anniversary of operations, I’m guessing there are many more things you don’t know.

In the past 12 months, much of it subject to a budget reduced by 90 per cent due to COVID-19, we have been aggressively and effectively telling the story of Alberta’s energy sector.

Frankly, this work is increasingly important as governments grapple with the cost of the pandemic. The energy sector contributed $672 billion to provincial, federal and municipal government coffers from 2000 to 2018, $493 billion specifically from oil and gas—more than the real estate and construction sectors combined.

And despite a multi-year downturn, the oil and gas industry still contributed nearly $20 billion annually as of 2018.

This industry did so while producing energy with some of the highest environmental standards in the world, by an industry that is the biggest spender on clean tech in Canada.

The Canadian Energy Centre is telling Canadians about this critical industry right now with our “When We Work, Canada Works” campaign, spreading the word that our energy industry not only provides cold hard cash for governments, but employment for Canadians across the country.

If you’re in Toronto, Vancouver, St. John’s, Halifax, Ottawa-Gatineau, you might see one of our billboards or hear one of our radio ads. And our digital campaign is likely to pop up on one of your smart devices.

The CEC has produced 30 research briefs on everything from pipelines and the environment to the economy and Canada’s ability to reduce carbon emissions around the world with our responsibly produced natural gas.

This is valuable data that at once debunks myths and builds important understanding about the reality of our world-leading industry.

We completed a never-before done research project that examined the public positions of First Nations in BC and Alberta and discovered an overwhelming support of First Nations for responsible and sustainable development of energy and energy infrastructure projects in their territories.

Our work has appeared in media across the country, and we have a growing network of supporters from coast to coast.

Canada’s energy sector is a dynamic industry that is constantly improving and evolving.

And the reality is, most credible forecasts say global demand for oil and gas will grow.

Countries like Russia, with sub-par environmental and human rights records, are ramping up to meet that demand.

There are 350 coal-fired gas plants now under construction around the world. Our natural gas could supplant some of that coal use, reducing global GHGs significantly. And that is the goal, right?

It’s our contention that Canada should be the international supplier of choice.

Not Qatar. Not Russia. Not Saudi Arabia.

That, to us, is a big part of the story.

Some of the work we intend to do over the next year is to focus on what’s known as environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards, and how Canada’s record eclipses most other oil and gas producing nations in the world.

Those are rights linked to labour, those of women, the Indigenous, and a high standard on safety and the environment, including greenhouse gas emissions, water use and land disturbance.

So while opponents bash Canada’s responsible, innovative, world leading energy sector, we’re just getting started on setting the record straight.

The world needs Canada’s responsibly produced energy in all its forms. Full stop.

Tom Olsen is CEO of the Canadian Energy Centre, an independent provincial corporation that is primarily supported by the Government of Alberta’s industry-funded Technology, Innovation and Emissions Reduction (TIER) fund. 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.

Canada’s energy sector is often defined by numbers, but it’s really about people.

Consider Shawn Prince, a member of the McLeod Lake Indian Band in northern B.C. He’s thrilled about his future, thanks to Canada’s oil and gas sector.

“It’s given me great, great opportunities, keeping me busy learning new things every day,” says the 44-year-old labourer who works for Duz Cho, an Indigenous-owned forestry company that is doing clearing work on the Coastal GasLink pipeline project.

“Coastal GasLink is making a difference in my life because it gives me opportunities for work. This is more than a job to me … it’s making me a future.”

Phil Tait, a member of the Witset First Nation, is happy about the future oil and gas is helping him build as a heavy equipment operator for contractor Kyah Resources, a company owned and operated by the nation.

“The way the economy is going, projects like Coastal GasLink can help save our communities, our government, and province,” says the 52-year-old father of four of the estimated $40-billion Coastal GasLink pipeline and LNG Canada terminal, whose construction is well underway in Haisla territory in Kitimat.

Our research has found that out of 202 First Nations in British Columbia with a public position, only three oppose oil development (including pipelines), and no First Nations have recorded opposition to natural gas development.  In Alberta, out of 48 First Nations, 46 have been found to be in support of both oil and natural gas development, with two First Nations publicly unclear.

Canada’s energy sector is a boon to the entire country, providing jobs for families, revenues for governments and activity for businesses across the country, from the biggest cities to some of the most remote communities.

The economic benefits the energy sector creates are massive. Between 2000 and 2018, the energy industry contributed $672 billion in revenues to federal and provincial budgets. These are dollars that pay for healthcare, schools, environmental programs and other essential services. The oil and gas sector alone supports more than 500,000 jobs across Canada in direct and related industries.

It is just simple logic that investment in major projects that create thousands of jobs will generate a ripple effect. Statistics Canada says there are clear spin-off benefits created by oil and gas – every job that exists directly in the oil and gas industry supports three indirect and two induced jobs across the economy.

The Canadian Energy Centre has launched a budget-conscious campaign to raise awareness across the country that the energy industry can and will provide the backbone for economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Consider Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.

Nestled on northern tip of Lake Huron, Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., Tenaris is manufacturing steel pipe that primarily supplies the oil and gas industry in Western Canada.

“This relationship with oil and gas in the West is extremely important to the Sault Ste. Marie community,” says David McHattie from Tenaris, whose high-tech factory is one of the largest employers in the city. “When Tenaris is successful, when a manufacturer is successful, it means we’re here for the long run.”

Or Newfoundland and Labrador, where the offshore oil and gas industry accounts for nearly 30 per cent of GDP and 10 per cent of all the jobs in the province.

“When I was going through my program at college, I fully anticipated that I was going to have to move away to find work,” says Sacha Gale, a helicopter maintenance supervisor for Cougar Helicopters in St. John’s. “The oil and gas industry has provided awesome opportunities for young people like me to stay at home and have good jobs.”

The oil and gas industry also provides significant opportunities for new Canadians to build successful careers and achieve prosperity for their families.

The most recent data available from Statistics Canada shows that more than 28,000 landed immigrants were employed in quarrying, mining and oil and gas extraction in 2019 – a number that has mostly grown over the past 15 years. And average weekly earnings for landed immigrants in the resource sector are 71 per cent higher than the average across all industries in Canada.

Ask Prince Azom, a Nigerian immigrant who is working to reduce the environmental impact of our oil sands industry after completing his PhD in Texas.

“My experience in Canada so far has been amazing. The innovation system here is the best in the world, and the collaboration between companies to improve and reduce the environmental impact of the entire industry doesn’t exist anywhere else that I have seen,” Azom says.

On top of providing jobs and prosperity across Canada, our energy companies are the biggest investors in innovation and clean technology, and they are achieving some of the highest ratings for Environment, Social and Governance performance.

Those who support the energy sector are engaged in process that will take some time. Our critics have a head start on us, and others will come at us for their own personal or political reasons

What needs to be kept foremost in everyone’s minds, however, is this: the energy sector is not just about numbers. It’s about people and families and the benefits that accrue to all Canadians.

At the Canadian Energy Centre, we make no apologies for underscoring that point.

As the fight against this unprecedented global pandemic continues, a renewed focus on delivering a realistic plan that will support Canada’s economic recovery has never been more important.

Canada has worked hard to contain the spread of COVID-19. This is a credit to the leadership our Public Health Officers across Canada have provided and the resilience and commitment made by all our front-line workers since the pandemic emerged. They all deserve our thanks and gratitude.

On top of health implications, the economic fallout of shutting down much of our economy has been devastating. An estimated three million jobs were lost by April and the unemployment rate is expected to reach almost 10 per cent by the end of this year; all leading to an historic federal government deficit estimated to be $343 billion.

No industry is better positioned than energy to play a foundational role in getting people back to work and helping pay for the services on which families rely. We know how important the sector is to our national prosperity. Energy has put billions of dollars into vital social programs such as healthcare and education right across Canada. As we’ve worked, Canada has prospered, and we have accomplished all of this with growing strong partnerships with Indigenous communities and improving environmental performance.

The jobs and economic benefits created by the energy sector are massive. Between 2000 and 2018, the industry contributed $359 billion to federal and provincial budgets. These are dollars that go back into our healthcare, schools, environmental programs and other essential services.

Canada’s oil and gas sector alone supports more than 500,000 jobs across Canada in direct and related industries. And for each person working directly in oil and gas, five more jobs are supported somewhere else in Canada. Whether you are in Vancouver, Moose Jaw, Toronto, Montreal or Halifax, there is a good chance the energy sector is impacting your livelihood.

As examples, you need look no further than the thousands of well-paying jobs being created on the three large-scale pipeline projects under construction right now. Not only will the Trans Mountain expansion, Keystone XL and Coastal GasLink pipelines provide much-needed access to international markets for our valuable resources – which benefits all Canadians – these projects are putting people to work and giving a much needed boost to local businesses and communities.

Canada works to high Environmental, Social and Governance standards. Some jurisdictions with lower standards are flourishing in the global energy market while Canada continues to debate the value of the sector at home. This debate, often not grounded in the facts, is hurting our prosperity. Canadians deserve better.

Canadian energy is good for Canada and good for the world. We know world demand for our energy is increasing and with our world-leading commitment to human rights, labour rights and the environment, Canada can be, and should be, the supplier of choice to meet  this demand.

It’s time to start talking openly and honestly about our energy sector. We know climate change is real. That is why our energy sector has played a leading role in investment in renewable energy and clean technology innovation. There is always more to be done, but let’s do it together.

Canadians from coast to coast to coast should be proud of their energy sector and its contribution to Canada and the world.

The facts have always been on our side – when we work, Canada works.

In the midst of the COVID-19-caused economic decline and huge job losses, it’s unfortunate that some, including presumptive U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, continue to smear Canada’s oil and gas industry.

Biden says if elected, he’ll shut down the Keystone XL pipeline project – a project now under construction providing jobs to thousands of people on both sides of the border.

After more than a decade, the case for Keystone XL remains the same as it has always been: Without access to more Canadian crude to feed its refineries, the U.S. will continue to rely on oil from places like Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Russia and Mexico.

It will also mean that Canada and the U.S. will continue to be vulnerable to the whims of tyrannical regimes in Russia, Saudi Arabia and other OPEC countries – countries with lower regard for things like human rights, labour rights and the environment.

As much as Mr Biden and others might wish the world could erase its dependence on oil and gas in an instant, it can’t.

Renewable energy continues to grow, but still only accounts for about 10 per cent of the world’s overall energy mix, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).

And as the much-discussed new documentary ‘Planet of the Humans’ points out, all forms of energy involve trade-offs and environmental impacts.

In the case of renewable power, there can also be significant costs when it’s pushed too quickly.

Here in Canada, there’s the $37 billion in excess power fees Ontario consumers paid between 2006 and 2014 to support green energy projects and other activities related to the elimination of coal-fired electricity in the province.

The IEA expects at the height of the lockdown response — basically right now — oil demand will drop by 23.1 million barrels per day compared to 2019 levels. But as economies strengthen, the IEA expects demand to rise to an estimated 98 million barrels per day by the end of this year – a minimal drop from pre-COVID numbers.

Air travel may dip temporarily, but people are expected to increasingly use personal vehicles over concern about crowded public transit.

Over the longer term, the IEA forecasts that global oil demand will be significant into the future. Even in the most aggressive decarbonization scenario it published in November 2019, by 2040 oil demand is pegged at 67 million barrels per day.

Thanks to the innovation that has unlocked the energy reserves in shale deposits, the United States is now the world’s largest oil producer, the largest oil consumer, and the second-largest emitter of greenhouse gases behind China. It’s also helpful to note that while new pipeline development has been held up in Canada, oil and gas has been clipping along in Biden’s own country. The U.S. has built 32 new oil pipelines since 2014 compared to only two in Canada.

But the U.S. still wants, and needs, a lot of Canadian oil — especially the refineries on the U.S. Gulf Coast that Keystone XL will serve. Virtually all of the more than 3.5 million barrels per day that Canada exports goes to our southern neighbour, and there is opportunity to provide more.

So the question persists: Where do Americans prefer their oil to come from?

Canada is home to most of the world’s oil reserves that are open to private sector investment and are produced according to leading environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards. Canadian oil production is safe and reliable.

Canada has a national climate plan that includes a cap on GHG emissions from the oil sands industry. Alberta was the first jurisdiction to place a levy on large industry emissions through what is now called the Technology, Innovation and Emissions Reduction (TIER) program. TIER revenue helps fund development of new technologies to reduce the industry’s greenhouse gas emissions.

Canada’s largest energy companies are adopting some of the most ambitious goals to improve environmental performance and enhance engagement with Indigenous communities.

At a time when the U.S. and Canada need it most, Keystone XL will generate more than 50,000 jobs, billions of dollars in economic activity, and enhance energy security across North America.

Candidate Biden needs to check the facts and recognize the important energy partnership that exists between our two countries. A return to divisive rhetoric of the past is in nobody’s best interest.

Tom Olsen is the Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Energy Centre

Canada’s energy sector is facing unprecedented challenges as oil demand collapses as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The toll is already visible, with layoffs coming at the worst possible time for families, as companies cut spending and put growth plans on hold in order to survive.

In this challenging time, anti-oil activists pour gasoline on the fire by pushing a plan to kill off Canada’s oil and gas industry.

The so-called Green New Deal is an irresponsible approach that ignores basic facts about the important role this industry has played and will play in building the strong and resilient country we’re lucky to call home.

As many Canadians know, the oil and gas industry is one of the country’s largest economic sectors. It has a long track record of driving Canada’s economy. And it can do so again, with production of safe, reliable, secure, and affordable oil and gas, rooted in world-leading environmental practices.

Canadians would prefer to use Canadian energy over foreign sources – especially from regimes that have little respect for women’s rights, human rights more broadly and the environment.

Here are a few things you might not know:

• The energy sector generated $359 billion in federal and provincial revenues between 2000 and 2018, building many hospitals and schools across the country, among other things.
• Canada’s Indigenous nations are benefiting as never before as the result of energy projects that Indigenous leaders say respect the environment and afford their people a way out of poverty.
• The oil and gas sector supports more than 500,000 jobs across Canada in direct and related industries.
• The energy sector is also the biggest investor in clean tech. If you kill the energy industry, you kill the investment in clean tech.
• Reports of subsidies to the sector are widely exaggerated. They are, in fact, far less than subsidies to the rail sector and the motion picture industry, for example.

At the Canadian Energy Centre, we’ve been looking at attitudes across Canada when it comes to oil and gas. The results are heartening: 58 per cent of Canadians support the industry.

Those people want to know the industry is continuously taking steps to improve environmental performance.

They also want to know there’s an openness to alternate forms of energy.

It’s important to note, this is not an either/or conversation. It’s a conversation that includes all forms of energy to meet the world’s needs, including responsibly produced renewables, and biofuels, fossil fuels and hydroelectricity.

The starting point, however, is that oil and gas will be the primary fuel source for many years.

According to the International Energy Agency, in the last quarter of 2019 – before the full effect of COVID-19 was felt – global demand eclipsed 100 million barrels of crude oil a day. That demand is expected to rebound to 98 million barrels a day by December 2020 from its current depressed levels.

Before the downturn, even the most conservative estimates put global demand at 67 million barrels a day in 2040. According to the International Energy Agency, however, a more likely scenario is 106 million barrels a day over the same period.

As much as possible of that oil should come from Canada.

So let’s have that pragmatic discussion and set aside debates that suggest the imminent shuttering of an industry Canadians are proud of.

Canada’s energy sector leads the world in responsible development while investing in new technologies that could help reduce both greenhouse gas and particulate emissions.

It will not be an easy road, but Canadian energy can help kick-start the country’s recovery from the economic devastation of COVID-19.

We should let it.

Tom Olsen is chief executive officer of the Canadian Energy Centre.

At its core, the CEC’s mandate is to create a new, pragmatic, fact-based narrative about Canadian energy.

We will reject what is false and promote what is true.

Our starting point is that Canadian oil and natural gas can make this country and the world better.

We know there will be increasing demand globally for oil and gas for decades to come.

With our industry’s constant and successful quest to reduce its carbon footprint, and with Canada’s world-leading commitment to human rights, labour rights and the environment, there is no question that growing international energy demand should be met by Canada.

Shutting down Canada’s oil and gas industry won’t stop oil or gas from being produced or consumed.

It will simply mean they will be increasingly sourced from regimes that don’t have Canada’s commitment to producing energy responsibly. It also means that we are turning our backs on a major driver of our economy and the related prosperity it brings to all Canadians.

We believe that the climate is changing, that human activity is contributing, and that we all need to do better.

There’s no question we want lower greenhouse gas emissions, as well as clean water, air and land. We support the growth of renewable energy, as well. It’s all part of a larger solution.

But we don’t believe that shutting down the modern industrial economy through an abrupt shift away from fossil fuels makes any sense.

All that would do is make it more difficult and expensive for people to live their lives and prevent those in developing countries from enjoying benefits that come from affordable, accessible energy.

Yet that’s what domestic and foreign-funded campaigns against Canada’s oil and gas industry are advocating. Those campaigns have divided our country and devastated the Alberta economy. They have also ignored that Canadian industry is leading the way in cleaning its operations, resulting in innovations with applications around the world.

The CEC is a provincial corporation under the financial administration act that will largely be funded by Alberta’s energy industry, through the new Technology Innovation and Emissions Reduction (TIER) fund.

The TIER system was designed to meet the needs of Alberta’s environment and economy. Large industries like oil and natural gas account for more than half of Alberta’s total greenhouse gas emissions. The system encourages industrial facilities to find innovative ways to reduce emissions and invest in clean technology to stay competitive. The CEC will help communicate those improvements.

Now a word about tone. We will be informative, positive and educational — but not shy away from difficult topics.

Our website will reflect that. Our first offerings include features about how Indigenous Canadians are benefitting from involvement in the oil and gas industry; a story about a parent concerned with a presentation to Canadian schoolchildren that contains what he calls misinformation about the oil and gas industry; analyses about why Canadian LNG can reduce global emissions by replacing power from coal.

We invite Canadians and people around the world to join us on this unique and necessary journey to raise understanding of the energy sector’s value to this country and globally through the sharing of knowledge, facts and ideas.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this column identified the Canadian Energy Centre as a Crown corporation. In fact, it is a provincial government corporation. This column has been updated to reflect that fact.