Convincing 500 million Europeans that Alberta’s oilsands are being developed responsibly was a bit much to expect Cal Dallas to accomplish in one week.
But the minister of intergovernmental, international and aboriginal relations, and MLA for Red Deer South, thinks he made some headway.
Dallas returned to Canada on Tuesday after spending a week in Paris, Geneva and London.
He said he fielded a lot of questions about the oilsands, and especially the regulations governing their development — with skepticism heightened by Canada’s recent decision to withdraw from the Kyoto accord.
“Some of the Europeans I spoke with did express concerns about the Canadian government’s decision with respect to Kyoto,” said Dallas.
But he also found that many weren’t aware of the environmental initiatives that are being undertaken here.
“We had an opportunity to talk about our $2-billion investment in carbon capture and sequestration technology. That really turned the light on for a lot of the people that we talked to.
“Once they understood that not only were we doing this work and had that kind of financial commitment, but the intent is to share the development of that technology, I think that was of great interest to them.”
One issue that Dallas wanted to address while in Europe was the European Union’s fuel quality directive, which discourages the use of oilsands-derived fuels.
He said he found some support for science-based arguments against such measures and is optimistic more discussions will help. Dallas also focused on trade, including interacting with about 45 major European companies that do business in Alberta and have the potential for more.
“It was an opportunity to talk about what their challenges are, what they see in terms of the environment in Alberta as an investment climate,” he said, listing taxes, the political climate and the regulatory framework here as areas of interest.
Dallas also spoke with officials involved in negotiating the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement between Canada and the European Union, and the World Trade Organization’s Doha Development Round. He said he emphasized Alberta’s commitment to free trade.
There are reasons for optimism with respect to the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, said Dallas, but political roadblocks exist when it comes to a new WTO agreement.
“Probably 2012 is not a year for great optimism with respect to movement on the Doha.”
Earlier this month, Dallas attended the World Petroleum Congress in Doha, Qatar, where he met with government and industry officials and spoke to conference delegates. He provided information about Alberta and its energy sector, and networked with prospective investors.
hrichards@www.reddeeradvocate.com