Suddenly, everybody's talking about a national energy strategy.

Whether it's the head of Shell Canada, the Alberta Energy Minister, federal political leaders, editorials in the media or environmental groups, there's recognition of the need for a real plan to develop our resources.

The Alberta Federation of Labour has been saying this for some time. While it is gratifying that a wide range of others now recognize the need, it is more important than ever for the voice of labour to be heard. Now that the conversation has begun on what kind of energy strategy is required, we must act quickly to ensure that our views are taken into consideration.

Without labour's involvement, Alberta and Canada could end up with an energy plan devised to allow corporations to make maximum profit, while doing as little as possible to improve environmental standards, and without a map for how the province can make the transition from fossil fuels to clean energy.

Alberta must find a way to meet the demand for our resources in an environmentally sustainable way, while creating jobs for Alberta workers today and building a bridge to a future where we are global leaders in renewable energy and where our children and grandchildren can work in well-paid and secure jobs.

We must also ensure that the province collects a fair share of revenue from selling these finite and transitional resources – which belong to the citizens of Alberta – so that we can afford to pay for the vital services that keep our communities alive.

Growing interest in Alberta's oil sands provides us an opportunity to do all this – and more. We can build a cleaner future, improve government revenue, provide more stable public services – and we can grow the labour movement, too. Unions have a better a chance to organize in the energy sector than they have seen for many years.

These challenges must be met, these opportunities must be taken. The time to act is now.

Gil McGowan
President