Growing up in Calgary, 22-year-old Max McGivern was naturally drawn to Canada’s energy industry.

Now a political science student at the University of Calgary, he’s motivated to contribute to the sector by helping build knowledge and pride among young Canadians.

“It’s the beating heart of Canada. We’re really lucky to have such a massive surplus of natural resources, and to have a mindset that we develop them responsibly,” McGivern said. 

“It is being handled by the previous generation right now, but there will come a time when it’s our turn. It will become ours, so we need to know how to manage it effectively.”

For the past two years, McGivern has worked as a summer student with Young Canadians for Resources, a national youth-led advocacy organization focused on Canada’s natural resource sectors and their role in the economy.

“You get exposed to the discussion of natural resources and you get to discuss with other like-minded people, or even with people who don’t fully agree with natural resources,” McGivern said.

“It’s been immensely positive, and it’s been pretty transformative.”

McGivern has learned that energy is about more than just what comes through an electrical outlet.

“I understand that different elements go into energy, rather than just, like, cool, my phone is charged,” he said.

“It’s more than just, drill a hole, get some oil.”

Recent polling shows that young Canadians are interested in growing the country’s energy sector.

A December Ipsos survey found that 82 per cent of those aged 18 to 34 believe Canada should prioritize expanding oil and gas exports to other countries.

“It’s our responsibility to develop it, to get it to our neighbors. And you know that we will see prosperity. It’s not a question of if, it’s a question of when,” McGivern said.

He believes the future will bring greater cooperation and a deeper recognition of the role energy from all sources plays for Canadians.

“The more people understand the importance of energy and the role of energy in our lives, the better,” McGivern said.

“I think there’ll be more energy projects. Not just things like LNG, but that might be more wind farms, more geothermal. Even just with time, there are more technological innovations, so we’ll figure out more ways to harness different energies.”

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