CALGARY — Canada’s energy minister told oil and gas industry leaders on Friday that Ottawa and Alberta still remain committed to reaching an agreement on energy after missing the April 1 deadline tied to the memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the two parties.Speaking to a sold-out crowd at the Canadian Association of Energy Contractors (CAOEC) and the Explorers and Producers Association of Canada’s (EPAC) 2026 spring luncheon in Calgary, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson said the missed deadline was part of a broader negotiation process rather than a breakdown in talks.“You always set a deadline for when you want to get a deal done,” Hodgson told EPAC President Tristan Goodman during a Q&A session.“When you hit that deadline, you look at one another and you say, ‘Do we still share the vision for this deal? Do we, do we still have the same objective?’”.“I believe the federal government and the Alberta government are looking at each other and saying, ‘We still share a vision of how we make Canada a clean energy superpower.’”The MOU, which was signed by Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith last November, is expected to reshape the energy relationship between Alberta and Canada, but multiple components are still unresolved.Reuters recently reported that sources close to the matter have said Ottawa and Alberta are nearing a deal that would raise the carbon tax on large industrial emitters in Alberta to $130 per tonne, but that the fate of several components of the deal, such as plans for a new pipeline to BC’s coast and support for the proposed $16.5-billion Pathways Alliance carbon capture and storage project, are still up in the air..Energy minister says Canada must diversify oil exports beyond US, as Trump approves Bridger pipeline.Goodman said that the negotiations appear to be entering their most difficult phase and the industry is watching the proceedings closely.“Everybody in this room is thinking about what this means for them — infrastructure, capital investment, drilling,” Goodman said.“We can see a number of pieces that have moved forward. I would say the bulk of this has gone well. It was always going to be difficult in the last little bit, but I think both parties seem still committed to getting something done.”He did, however, caution that time was a factor and, in order to ease apprehension within the industry, an agreement needs to be reached sooner rather than later.“If we're still talking about this in the fall, I think we have a problem,” he said.
