Juno News - How the Alberta gov is standing up for oil and gas

00:00:00.000 Welcome to this week's episode of the Alberta Roundup.

00:00:14.000 I'm your host, Isaac Lamoureux, and you might be thinking that I'm wearing this suit because

00:00:18.500 of some of the heat I faced for wearing a Christmas sweater on my Christmas episode.

00:00:23.060 But no, I decided to dress up today because in this episode, I'll be joined by Alberta's

00:00:28.540 Minister of Energy and Minerals, Brian Jean, for a look into the provinces, countries,

00:00:33.700 and even the world's energy future, with Conservative leader Pierre Polyèvre and President-elect

00:00:38.900 Donald Trump leading their countries with a more pro-energy approach in 2025.

00:00:44.660 In this episode, we'll explore Minister Jean's outlook on the growing international demand

00:00:49.760 for Alberta's energy and what 2025 could bring for the industry by collaborating more closely

00:00:55.700 with a pro-energy federal government.

00:00:58.540 We'll also discuss Alberta's push to make the federal emissions targets more realistic,

00:01:04.400 Jean's take on balancing environmental goals with affordability, and his views on addressing

00:01:09.380 the small but loud climate activist voices.

00:01:12.820 Minister Jean shares insights into Alberta's economic advantages, from high-paying energy

00:01:17.780 jobs to the growing opportunities in minerals like lithium, titanium, and helium.

00:01:22.900 He also provides commentary on the state of Alberta's opposition, the NDP's lack of leadership,

00:01:28.960 and how Alberta can strengthen collaboration with the United States on cross-border issues

00:01:34.320 like illegal trade and energy exports.

00:01:37.140 Let's hop right into that interview now.

00:01:39.320 So yeah, with the likely election of Pierre Polyèvre and the incoming Trump administration,

00:01:43.880 and of course assuming the trade impasses will be dealt with, will the demand for Canadian

00:01:48.240 energy in 2025 be higher than ever?

00:01:52.100 Well, I think so.

00:01:53.040 We're certainly at record levels now.

00:01:55.480 The world is at record levels.

00:01:56.780 You know, we believe that with more egress and more opportunity, we will have more customers

00:02:04.920 for our product.

00:02:05.720 We have an endless supply of people that want to buy our product, including, you know, other

00:02:10.720 countries such as India or Korea or Japan.

00:02:14.200 They're all looking for opportunities to buy our energy.

00:02:17.440 And I think with the future, it looks very bright indeed.

00:02:21.400 And then looking ahead into 2025, I'm just curious, what are your top priorities?

00:02:27.940 Well, I think the one thing we need to do is work aggressively with the feds to change

00:02:33.440 their emissions targets to be more realistic.

00:02:37.720 The 2050 timeframe is realistic, and I think it gives us an opportunity to have technology

00:02:43.200 catch up to us and offer what it can do.

00:02:47.040 I just think that's got to be our number one objective.

00:02:49.380 But people are having a difficult time right now.

00:02:52.560 Affordability is definitely an issue on everybody's mind.

00:02:55.220 So I think as we go forward as a government, we have to look for ways to make things more

00:02:58.540 efficient and more effective, but at the same time, distribute, take care of people properly

00:03:03.360 and make sure we invest properly so that Albertans have lots of jobs, lots of wealth, so they're

00:03:12.940 healthy and happy.

00:03:13.980 And I think that's what it's all about, making sure your family is healthy, making sure your

00:03:18.320 wealth is happy, and you can do that better when you have a job and when you have a future.

00:03:23.360 And speaking quickly on the expectations surrounding emissions, so there's obviously

00:03:29.380 international demand for Canadian energy, but the small but loud voices of climate activists

00:03:35.220 are evidently continuing to push for net zero.

00:03:39.020 So I'm just curious if there's any plans on how to deal with this small but loud minority.

00:03:47.060 Well, I think telling the truth and providing proper education for them is the most critical

00:03:51.480 path forward.

00:03:52.460 I think we have to continue to put forward a position of strength together.

00:03:58.240 The energy that we do provide to people, I mean, you know, whether it's a warm shower

00:04:04.300 in the morning or a warm house right now, you know, I'm in Fort McMurray right now, it's

00:04:08.100 minus 15, 20.

00:04:10.120 And I will tell you last night, it got a little bit colder.

00:04:12.300 And I'm really glad that I have natural gas for a very reasonable price, heating my home.

00:04:16.880 And then I get into my vehicle, which is, which is fueled by oil, sands, oil.

00:04:22.420 And, you know, I, I'm able to stay warm in my vehicle and also drive great distances in

00:04:28.080 relatively short times because of our great transportation network.

00:04:31.020 All of these things, including the transportation network includes needs, Alberta resources,

00:04:37.120 bitumen.

00:04:39.380 Like there's no question that Alberta has a very bright future if we have the opportunity

00:04:44.020 to sell our product to the world, which is guaranteed by our constitution.

00:04:47.120 And that's the other thing that I think is alive and well for the future is making sure

00:04:51.200 that we enforce our rights under the Canadian constitution, which is a reasonable thing to

00:04:56.500 do when you have a federal counterpart that is aggressively going in our jurisdictional

00:05:02.420 space.

00:05:03.420 And we just have to make sure we keep them in theirs.

00:05:06.540 And then just speaking quickly on the opposition in Alberta, I'm curious to get your thoughts

00:05:11.540 on where you think the NDP and Naheed Nenshi stand on the development of Canadian energy.

00:05:18.400 Well, it's interesting you ask what my stand is on Naheed Nenshi.

00:05:21.960 I would like to know where he's standing because I'm not sure where he is right now.

00:05:25.000 I'm, you know, I've looked for him in the house.

00:05:26.360 I've seen him a couple of times hiding behind some poles there, but no, no, no show Nenshi

00:05:30.980 is, is not around.

00:05:32.420 He had a chance to run in the Lethbridge by election, didn't take it.

00:05:35.460 I'm kind of surprised.

00:05:36.360 Now we have another MLA and NDP MLA from Lethbridge.

00:05:39.180 So he obviously could have won that seat.

00:05:41.980 Why is he refusing to come to work every day?

00:05:44.200 That's what I'm kind of wondering.

00:05:45.240 And I think as somebody that has a record from Calgary, it might be the reason why is

00:05:51.060 because the record is one of high taxes and not listening to the people.

00:05:55.520 So, you know, am I concerned about the opposition?

00:05:59.320 Well, they have a job to do just like I have a job to do.

00:06:01.600 But right now they're leaderless in my mind and their job should be to focus on getting

00:06:06.040 good leaders or their good, effective opposition.

00:06:08.680 And they're not right now.

00:06:11.220 And Premier Smith has said that she would not consider a threat like Ontario Premier Doug

00:06:15.820 Ford made on energy.

00:06:17.120 But if the tariffs were to come, do you see any situation wherein Alberta could get a

00:06:22.740 tax exemption or tariff exemption on energy?

00:06:25.200 Well, you know, I think we should look at this as more of an opportunity.

00:06:30.000 And I think Premier Smith is.

00:06:31.480 We've got an opportunity right now to work with the U.S. administration to get rid of

00:06:35.040 fentanyl cross-border illegal activities and trade of humans and just, you know, all those

00:06:42.700 things like guns and other things that go back and forth across the border.

00:06:45.480 Those are real.

00:06:47.000 And we need to stop them.

00:06:48.160 And we have an opportunity with the U.S. president right now to stop them.

00:06:50.900 So I don't know why we wouldn't grab this opportunity and say, yahoo, let's do it.

00:06:55.580 Let's do it together.

00:06:56.760 And let's get rid of the illegal drug trade that's so prevalent in border crossings, as

00:07:02.140 we know.

00:07:02.880 And let's work with them to stamp it out in North America. 0.81

00:07:06.420 I think that's a great opportunity.

00:07:08.540 Are we going to see prices in the United States rise by 50 cents to a dollar a gallon in the

00:07:15.700 Midwest?

00:07:17.080 Well, that's the same question you just asked.

00:07:19.440 I don't think Trump's that kind of person, but maybe I'm wrong.

00:07:23.280 Does he want to drive the people that voted for him to have, you know, more expensive

00:07:27.940 gasoline as a result of a tariff that he put in by 50 cents or a dollar?

00:07:32.280 I don't think he's that person.

00:07:34.440 I think he's trying to drive a deal.

00:07:36.100 He's a businessman.

00:07:36.860 And he's saying, listen, you guys are gong shop north, just not as bad as down south.

00:07:42.640 I mean, the drug trade down there is a lot worse.

00:07:44.340 The human trafficking is a lot worse.

00:07:45.840 The gun trade is probably a lot worse.

00:07:48.420 I don't know.

00:07:50.560 But what we do know is that we've got a great opportunity to work with the U.S. administration

00:07:54.380 to make sure our oil and gas flow through, make sure we work with them to clean up some

00:07:58.760 things.

00:07:59.980 Donald Trump is negotiating.

00:08:01.420 This is a deal for him.

00:08:02.460 And he's saying, like, I don't like how our borders are.

00:08:05.140 I think that's totally reasonable.

00:08:06.700 I don't either.

00:08:07.500 So let's clean them up and let's work together to do that.

00:08:09.480 And in the meantime, exempt our oil and gas because it's only going to be better for

00:08:13.100 your people, just like it's going to be better for our people.

00:08:15.040 He may not realize how many Americans actually work up here in the oil sands.

00:08:19.560 But is there any situation you could see happening where retaliatory measures would need to happen?

00:08:26.300 I know Smith kind of took a stance against it.

00:08:29.060 But is there any situation where that could happen?

00:08:32.220 I certainly hope not.

00:08:33.180 You know, it's beyond the scope of the provincial government to do so.

00:08:36.900 This is a federal government jurisdiction. 0.99

00:08:40.760 But, you know, I would hate to see the federal government do something stupid like that and react in the wrong way, 0.99

00:08:45.320 which would cause retaliations backward. 0.99

00:08:47.960 Better off if we get along with our friends to the south.

00:08:50.080 They buy a lot of our product.

00:08:51.220 And it's important.

00:08:53.620 They also, you know, a lot of people don't realize this, but not only do they buy a lot of our product,

00:08:58.760 but in Pad 2 and Pad 4, which are the two most northern areas of the five pads in the U.S.,

00:09:06.040 those two pads use almost exclusively 100% oil sands oil, oil from Alberta and Saskatchewan.

00:09:14.480 I think they'd be pretty silly to increase those prices.

00:09:18.920 And you might say, well, they can just get it in from the south then.

00:09:22.080 Well, they can't.

00:09:23.020 It's not so easy.

00:09:24.140 They're integrated into our pipelines.

00:09:26.020 They're integrated into our heavy oil.

00:09:27.980 And they've made their production facilities and their refineries geared up to take our heavy oil.

00:09:34.620 It cost hundreds of millions of dollars to do that, like millions of dollars.

00:09:38.180 And now they're stuck with our oil.

00:09:39.840 So I think it's going to be a little bit more difficult than just saying, hey, you're sending us that stuff.

00:09:44.620 Let's increase the price.

00:09:46.500 Because he's got to think, whoa, I'm going to increase the price for my people just like I'm going to increase the price for those folks.

00:09:54.340 So am I really accomplishing anything?

00:09:57.100 I think Premier Smith is taking the right approach.

00:09:58.880 Let's work together.

00:09:59.920 Let's find some common places where we can work together.

00:10:02.020 And let's take it as an opportunity and do it.

00:10:04.160 And she has done it.

00:10:04.800 She's got more sheriffs. 1.00

00:10:05.720 She's got drones in there. 1.00

00:10:07.320 She's patrolling the border when it's really a federal jurisdictional responsibility.

00:10:10.860 But you know what?

00:10:12.060 When they're not doing it right, we have to step in and do it.

00:10:14.680 And that's what we're doing.

00:10:15.740 Protecting Albertans.

00:10:17.560 And the Albertan government has long-cited the federal government's lack of collaboration, specifically, of course, on energy projects.

00:10:24.640 So I'm curious what that collaboration might look like with a more pro-energy government if Polyefre takes office.

00:10:31.660 Well, I think there's a lot of opportunities, primarily in reducing regulations so that we can get more pipe in the ground.

00:10:39.520 We need more egress. 0.96

00:10:40.800 And if we're going to, you know, get this product to market that is the best product in the world, that is the most environmentally friendly and best for human rights and jobs,

00:10:48.980 then we need to get more of it out of the ground and into pipes that go south and go east and go west and north.

00:10:55.380 The truth is, as I mentioned before, Korea, Japan, India, all want to buy our oil, and they want to buy guaranteed supplies long-term.

00:11:06.540 If we can do that, we can increase the price and decrease the differential for our product.

00:11:12.140 And we can also supply many of our allies and friends that are important to the U.S. long-term stability, as it is important to Canada's long-term stability.

00:11:21.920 So I truly believe we should work together and think about energy security as we go forward and eliminating energy poverty, which is so prevalent in places like Bangladesh and India, etc.

00:11:32.920 And just taking it a step further, what specific economic benefits might Albertans see in the coming year from a more favorable shift towards energy?

00:11:42.620 And subsequently, what benefits might be seen nationwide or even worldwide?

00:11:45.960 Well, it's about jobs, and the more Alberta jobs, the more oil that comes out of our ground here, the more natural gas that flows into pipes that go overseas, the better the world is.

00:11:57.940 Because we displace coal with every bit of natural gas that goes over, and that's extremely important.

00:12:04.940 What does it mean for Albertans?

00:12:07.080 Well, the best jobs in Canada right now are in Alberta, in the Fort McMurray region.

00:12:13.760 You know, you can buy a house for $300,000.

00:12:16.600 It's like a five-, six-bedroom house.

00:12:18.520 And you can get a job that pays you the highest household income in the country, $200,000 a year, I believe, last year.

00:12:25.440 So these are great benefits to live in Fort McMurray and rural Alberta, northern Alberta.

00:12:30.200 And a lot of people are looking for those opportunities for their families because they realize that's, you know, that's what makes it important.

00:12:39.260 And home ownership is a reality here.

00:12:41.760 So I think what you see is a lot more wealthier Albertans, in particular First Nations Albertans that live here, and First Nation companies that live here, and also companies from right across Canada.

00:12:53.100 I'm hoping that more people locate to Alberta because it is the best place to live, work, and raise a family in the entire planet.

00:12:59.960 And you can do so as a wealthy individual as well.

00:13:03.600 So it's a great opportunity for families in Canada to be part of the oil and gas sector.

00:13:11.040 Yeah, and are there any other questions I haven't asked or covered that you'd like to say?

00:13:15.580 No, I just would like to say how much I appreciate being the Minister of Energy and Minerals for Alberta.

00:13:21.720 It's, you know, $183 billion industry last year just in oil and gas.

00:13:26.100 And now we have minerals coming along like lithium and helium and vanadium and titanium and so many different opportunities out of the tailings ponds in northern Alberta.

00:13:34.460 You know, we could supply titanium to the world, to the world, about 15% to 20% of the world's needs on a yearly basis for about 40 or 50 years just out of the oil sands.

00:13:45.840 There's some really, really cool stories that are happening right now, including lithium, as you know, the lithium brine solution, you know, the second or third time we've used a lot of wells in southern and central Alberta.

00:13:57.060 This is the Alberta story is how do we continue to be productive, continue to make sure that the people of Alberta get the benefit of these resources, which they own.

00:14:05.900 So I appreciate being here. I want to thank the Premier. She's just she's she's so tied in with the energy file.

00:14:14.740 It's great to see because, you know, Albertans really have a champion in our Premier for them and for their jobs and their quality of life.

00:14:22.520 So proud to be part of that government.

00:14:24.580 Thanks a lot, Mr. Jean. I really appreciate you taking the time with me today.

00:14:27.920 My pleasure. Enjoy. Take care. Thank you.

00:14:29.700 Let me know in the comments what you thought of Minister Jean's interview and whether there was anything surprising or noteworthy in your opinion.

00:14:38.640 That wraps up our special episode today. Once again, my name is Isaac Lamoureux, your host of the Alberta Roundup.

00:14:45.220 I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year's.

00:14:48.680 Have a great weekend. Thank you and God bless. May Alberta prosper strong and free.

00:14:59.700 Thank you.

Juno News - January 04, 2025

How the Alberta gov is standing up for oil and gas

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