Smith defends timing of Alberta Energy Centre rebrand, saying it's not related to independence

CALGARY — Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said her government’s recent rebranding of the Canadian Energy Centre as the Alberta Energy Centre was not intended to signal support for the independence movement, despite the timing of the rebrand.The Energy Centre, which was created in 2019 by former premier Jason Kenney’s government and is widely referred to as Alberta’s “energy war room,” was quietly rebranded in August, unveiling a new name, logo and revamped website.The centre was initially structured as a provincial corporation, and in June 2024, the government announced it would dismantle that standalone structure and move the centre inside the provincial government, with responsibility for its work falling under Alberta Intergovernmental Relations..EXCLUSIVE: Alberta's ‘energy war room’ drops 'Canadian' from name in sudden rebrand.On Tuesday, Smith said she hoped the name change “was not perceived” in a way that supports the Alberta independence movement or that the timing was related to the October referendum, adding the rebranding had been in the works for “some time.”She argued the new name would make Alberta’s prominent role in North American energy production clearer, particularly to American audiences who may not know where Canada’s oil resources are located.“One of the things that I have noticed is the extraordinary amount of work that I have had to do to let Americans know where they get their oil from,” Smith told the Western Standard.“When I started going down to conferences [such as] CERAWeek, they still thought they got the majority of their oil imported from Saudi Arabia. That has not been the case since about 2012 or 2013.”The premier also stated that she had grown tired of explaining Alberta’s location and abundance of energy resources to international audiences as well..EXCLUSIVE: Stockwell Day commends Smith’s stance against weaponizing Alberta energy.“Every time I say, ‘Well, where’s Alberta?’ everyone says, ‘Above Montana.’ So I’m kind of getting tired of having to explain to people where this large resource is from,” she said.Smith added that her government had paid for a 2025 study conducted by McDaniel and Associates Consultants, which would publicly show Alberta’s oil reserves.The study estimated the total oil-in-place in Alberta at 1,820 billion barrels, with proven, recoverable oil reserves at 167 billion barrels.“We're continuing to advocate for how we can get our product to market. We're taking the lead internationally in talking to different diplomatic teams about Alberta's opportunity to sell more resources. So it just seems like this is a good time for us to rebrand,” Smith said, comparing the rebrand to the use of West Texas Intermediate as the principal American oil benchmark.“Nobody's under any illusions about where the oil comes from, principally in the United States, although there does seem to be some confusion about where it comes from in Canada, and that's why the Alberta Energy Centre is gonna fill that information gap,” she stated.When asked how much the total rebrand would cost taxpayers, Smith said her government would have to get back to the Western Standard for the numbers.

Smith defends timing of Alberta Energy Centre rebrand, saying it's not related to independence

Related Stories

EXCLUSIVE: Stockwell Day commends Smith’s stance against weaponizing Alberta energy

Smith says cutting or taxing oil exports to the US would be a 'disastrous' decision

STICKS AND STONES: Smith says diplomacy has helped protect Alberta's economy against Trump's tariffs

Lukaszuk claims Smith has yet to address the Forever Canadian petition