New luggage might be high on Cal Dallas’s wish list this Christmas.
The MLA for Red Deer South has been spending a lot of time on the road since his appointment two months ago as minister of intergovernmental, international and aboriginal relations.
On Monday, Dallas boarded a plane for Europe, where he is scheduled to discuss the European Union’s proposed fuel quality directive, participate in World Trade Organization policy meetings and promote trade opportunities for Alberta.
The trip comes just a few days after Dallas returned from the World Petroleum Congress in Doha, Qatar. Heading a delegation of about 50 Alberta companies, he met with government and industry officials there, and delivered the keynote address to more than 400 conference delegates at a Canadian Ministerial session.
“That was exciting for me,” said Dallas of the opportunity to address an international audience.
In addition to talking about Alberta’s role in developing a Canadian energy strategy, Dallas said he described the province’s commitment to the responsible development of its energy industry — including the oilsands.
With more than 5,000 delegates registered at the World Petroleum Congress, the Dec. 4 to 8 event was a great place to meet prospective investors for Alberta’s energy sector, said Dallas. Many are aware of the opportunities that exist in this province, but with investment opportunities elsewhere in the world, it’s important to remain visible, he said.
“I think there’s more work to do in terms of awareness.”
The congress was also a good setting for Canadian companies to seek work, Dallas said.
“In the Middle East area there’s still a tremendous amount of potential for Alberta companies to develop business.”
Dallas said he tried to speak with all the Alberta companies at the show to learn what kind of support they require from the government.
In Europe from Dec. 13 to 20, Dallas will spend time in France, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
He said the Alberta government supports the EU’s commitment to addressing climate change concerns through its fuel quality directive, but wants to ensure the consistency of its application.
“Our concern is the language in the proposed FQD, which discriminates against our oilsands while not applying the same level of scrutiny to all of Europe’s other existing crude suppliers.”
In Geneva, he plans to stress Alberta’s support for free trade. He will also participate in a business roundtable in Paris, and meet with Canada-U.K. Chamber of Commerce board members and the Deputy High Commissioner of Canada in London.
“There are significant opportunities to grow our trade and investment relations abroad,” said Dallas, noting that Europe is Alberta’s third-largest trading partner and second-largest source of foreign direct investment.
hrichards@www.reddeeradvocate.com