Alberta’s Energy Policies from Lougheed to Klein
When Alberta’s first New Democratic Party (NDP) government swept to power in 2015, it inherited over four decades of Progressive Conservative (PC) energy policies, including development of the Alberta oil sands that by 2015 had become the key driver of the province’s economy.
The petroleum industry has long had a strong influence on the pace and scale of development of the oil sands. This report examines the history of Alberta energy policies as they apply to oil sands development. How did PC energy policies get Alberta to where it is today? And how different or similar are the energy policies of Rachel Notley’s NDP government?
This study is part of the Corporate Mapping Project, a research and public engagement initiative investigating the power of the fossil fuel industry in Western Canada. The CMP is jointly led by the University of Victoria, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and the Parkland Institute.
This research was supported by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).
