“Give us a plan,” said the President of the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL), Gil McGowan, after a roundtable discussion on Friday with representatives of the Federal government.
McGowan called on the government to give Alberta workers a plan on how to navigate Canada’s energy transition after meeting with union representatives, the minister of labour, Seamus O’Regan Jr. and the associate minister of finance, Randy Boissonnault. This discussion centered union voices as the government works on a plan for a Just Transition towards cleaner energy.
A 2019 survey found that over 140,000 of Alberta workers are employed in the oil and gas industry.
“At some level all Albertans are feeling the uncertainty associated with the unfolding energy transition,” McGowan said at a press conference on Friday, June 24. “The uncertainty is turning to anxiety and in some cases anger. And that’s understandable. But the first step to mastering that anxiety and that anger and turning it into constructive action is to name it.”
McGowan said that Friday’s roundtable discussion between the AFL the federal government was important and he felt encouraged to see that Ministers O’Regan Jr. and Boissonnault were taking the time to listen to workers. But there is still a lot of work to be done.
“We need more than just a few press releases, with due respect, and a few training programs,” McGowan said. “We need a plan for economic transformation and the money and political will to back it up. That doesn’t mean shutting down our oil and gas sector but it does mean helping them pivot and decarbonize so that they can remain competitive and viable for as long as possible. It also means diversifying beyond oil and gas.”
The federal government has committed to training programs so workers have the skills needed to pivot into the clean energy sector, according to the 2022 Federal Budget. Part of this commitment is a “Futures Fund” for Alberta, Saskatchewan and Newfoundland and Labrador.
“The working class is at the heart of our climate plan,” minister O’Regan Jr. said at Friday’s press conference. “Our path to net-zero is all about creating and sustaining jobs that we need to achieve net-zero. It’s not some side benefit.”
The energy transition will be a big paradigm shift for the world, McGowan said, and citizens of Alberta, a major oil and gas producing jurisdiction, need to prepare for the shift or be left behind. McGowan said that Alberta’s workers will need the government’s support through the energy transition.
Consultations for Canada’s Just Transition recently ended, minister O’Regan Jr. explained. He said it will take time to process all the information but a plan will be ready “soon, very soon.”
Minister O’Regan Jr. said that the plan for Canada’s energy transition will be built together with unions and members of the public.
McGowan said that countries became economic powerhouses because of public vision, public policy and public intervention, not in spite of it. As Canada shifts to a net-zero greenhouse gas emissions economy, public vision will have to lead the change again, McGowan said.
McGowan said the AFL and the public at large needs industrial policy that pivots the oil and gas industry towards low-emission and no-emission options like hydrogen and chiral carbon fiber. He also suggested the creation of a Crown Corporation to build infrastructure and partner on projects, a labor market strategy to make sure Albertans are trained for the new jobs and Community Benefit Agreements that ensure that Alberta’s workers and Alberta’s businesses get the most possible out of major projects.
“Give us projects, give us jobs and we will do the rest,” McGowan said.
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