It’s been said every sunset is a sunrise..And indeed, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith was staring into the rising sun on Tuesday morning after she urged grads to consider a career in oil and gas..Speaking at the Energy Works Career Expo in Calgary, Smith told jobseekers that Alberta’s energy industry offers not only a prosperous career, but a meaningful way to make a real difference to shape the future of the planet..”There is so much opportunity and I want you to leave here with enthusiasm Knowing that if you take a job with one of the energy companies, you are going to not only have a rewarding career, but you can feel very proud of the work that the industry is going to do,” she said in prepared remarks..“Working in Alberta's energy sector really is the ideal way to turn your goals into reality you will find a high the high pay and steady work that you need to build the kind of life that you want, including the opportunities you want for recreation all throughout the province. And you'll achieve the satisfaction that comes from being part of a solution to one of humanity's greatest challenges.”.Add in the fact that the ‘older generation’ of oil and gas professionals are rapidly retiring, and industries are going to be hard pressed to find enough boots to fill all the expected vacancies. Also add in the fact that Alberta has the lowest tax rates and standard of living in the country and it’s a recipe for success..Despite talk from federal officials about the need to curtail or even shut in oil production, Smith said Alberta’s output is well on track to surpass 4.7 million barrels per day (bpd) by the end of the decade. If Alberta were a country, that would make it the fourth or fifth largest producer in the world, behind Russia and ahead of Iran..Alberta’s energy industry presently employs about 130,000 people just to keep production flat without increasing it. Transitioning to a net-zero economy is going to require at minimum, another 35,000 skilled jobs, she said..And that doesn’t include opportunities in hydrogen — which is expected to be a trillion-dollar industry worldwide by 2050 — and further opportunities in rare earth minerals needed to fuel the so-called ‘energy transition’ and exports of LNG to reduce emissions, increase energy security and spread prosperity around the globe..In all, Smith continued to riff on a theme that’s characterized what could be called a ‘crusade of hope’ for Alberta’s energy sector, both at the World Petroleum Congress in Calgary this week and in discussions with the federal counterparts..“Let me just underscore if you haven't heard my voice loud and clear already you are in the right place at the right time. Alberta is a rising force in global energy markets and we are poised for even bigger things,” she summed. .“The world's need for oil and gas is not going anywhere. One of the things that I have said is that we are not transitioning away from with gas we are transitioning away from emissions and that is an important distinction because we know that we are going to be the best barrel that is out there. I know others are talking about it being the last. They’re wrong. I think we should be talking about Canada being the best barrel.”
