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Canadian Energy Centre
The Canadian Energy Centre Limited (CEC), also commonly called the "Energy War Room", was an Alberta provincial corporation mandated to promote Alberta's energy industry and rebut "domestic and foreign-funded campaigns against Canada's oil and gas industry".
The creation of an organization to promote Alberta's oil and gas industries was a campaign promise by United Conservative Party leader Jason Kenney during the 2019 Alberta general election. After winning a majority of seats in the election, Kenney's government inaugurated the CEC with a $2.84 million budget in December 2019. The CEC originally had an annual budget of CA$30 million which was decreased to $CA12 million. The CEC has been the subject of several controversies since its establishment, including accusations of plagiarizing logo designs. The CEC attracted widespread media attention when it launched a campaign against the Netflix animated children's movie Bigfoot Family because it cast Alberta's oil and gas industry in a negative light. In June 2024, the CEC was shut down, and merged into Alberta Intergovernmental Relations.
The creation of a 'war room' capable of challenging "energy industry critics' inaccuracies" was an election promise made by then candidate Jason Kenney as part of his campaign leading up to the 16 April 2019 Alberta general election. In the founding speech of the UCP on 9 May 2018, Kenney announced that he would engage in "national and international advocacy" including a "fully staffed rapid response war room in government to quickly and effectively rebut every lie told by the green left about our world-class energy industry. If companies like HSBC decide to boycott our oil sands, our government will boycott them. It's called a market decision." Premier Kenney, whose United Conservative Party (UCP), won a majority of seats in the Alberta Legislature announced the creation of Calgary-based $30 million "Energy War Room" on 7 June 2019 to "fight misinformation related to oil and gas".
On 6 May 2019 Nick Koolsbergen, who was the UCP's Alberta campaign manager for the winning election, announced the establishment of the Wellington Advocacy government relations firm with Harper & Associates' Rachel Curran. Both Koolsbergen and Curran had worked in the office of former Prime Minister Stephen Harper. According to a 17 May 2019 CBC article, Postmedia contracted Wellington Advocacy to "lobby" the UCP on "how it could be involved with" the new 'energy war room'.
In July 2019, Kenney announced the establishment of a one-year $2.5 million Public Inquiry into Anti-Alberta Energy Campaigns". Kenney cited the work of Vivian Krause, who has spent ten years examining foreign funding of Canadian environmental non-profit organizations (ENGOs) and who claimed that Alberta's interests were being "challenged by well-funded foreign actors who have been waging a decade-long campaign to land lock Alberta's oil." The public inquiry, which was officially established in July 2019 with a "mandate to investigate foreign-funded efforts", is led by the former board chair of the Calgary Economic Development—a forensic accountant—Steve Allan. The inquiry will include interviews, research, and potentially, public hearings.
On 9 October 2019 Energy Minister Sonya Savage announced that the CEC was incorporated.
The centre (CEC) was officially launched on 11 December by Premier Kenney at a press conference at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT).
Its mandate is to "highlight achievements in Alberta's oil and gas sector" and to "refute what it deems to be misinformation about the industry." Kenney said the centre will "counter misinformation" "coming from some environmental groups and others seeking to landlock Alberta's oil and gas".
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Canadian Energy Centre
The Canadian Energy Centre Limited (CEC), also commonly called the "Energy War Room", was an Alberta provincial corporation mandated to promote Alberta's energy industry and rebut "domestic and foreign-funded campaigns against Canada's oil and gas industry".
The creation of an organization to promote Alberta's oil and gas industries was a campaign promise by United Conservative Party leader Jason Kenney during the 2019 Alberta general election. After winning a majority of seats in the election, Kenney's government inaugurated the CEC with a $2.84 million budget in December 2019. The CEC originally had an annual budget of CA$30 million which was decreased to $CA12 million. The CEC has been the subject of several controversies since its establishment, including accusations of plagiarizing logo designs. The CEC attracted widespread media attention when it launched a campaign against the Netflix animated children's movie Bigfoot Family because it cast Alberta's oil and gas industry in a negative light. In June 2024, the CEC was shut down, and merged into Alberta Intergovernmental Relations.
The creation of a 'war room' capable of challenging "energy industry critics' inaccuracies" was an election promise made by then candidate Jason Kenney as part of his campaign leading up to the 16 April 2019 Alberta general election. In the founding speech of the UCP on 9 May 2018, Kenney announced that he would engage in "national and international advocacy" including a "fully staffed rapid response war room in government to quickly and effectively rebut every lie told by the green left about our world-class energy industry. If companies like HSBC decide to boycott our oil sands, our government will boycott them. It's called a market decision." Premier Kenney, whose United Conservative Party (UCP), won a majority of seats in the Alberta Legislature announced the creation of Calgary-based $30 million "Energy War Room" on 7 June 2019 to "fight misinformation related to oil and gas".
On 6 May 2019 Nick Koolsbergen, who was the UCP's Alberta campaign manager for the winning election, announced the establishment of the Wellington Advocacy government relations firm with Harper & Associates' Rachel Curran. Both Koolsbergen and Curran had worked in the office of former Prime Minister Stephen Harper. According to a 17 May 2019 CBC article, Postmedia contracted Wellington Advocacy to "lobby" the UCP on "how it could be involved with" the new 'energy war room'.
In July 2019, Kenney announced the establishment of a one-year $2.5 million Public Inquiry into Anti-Alberta Energy Campaigns". Kenney cited the work of Vivian Krause, who has spent ten years examining foreign funding of Canadian environmental non-profit organizations (ENGOs) and who claimed that Alberta's interests were being "challenged by well-funded foreign actors who have been waging a decade-long campaign to land lock Alberta's oil." The public inquiry, which was officially established in July 2019 with a "mandate to investigate foreign-funded efforts", is led by the former board chair of the Calgary Economic Development—a forensic accountant—Steve Allan. The inquiry will include interviews, research, and potentially, public hearings.
On 9 October 2019 Energy Minister Sonya Savage announced that the CEC was incorporated.
The centre (CEC) was officially launched on 11 December by Premier Kenney at a press conference at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT).
Its mandate is to "highlight achievements in Alberta's oil and gas sector" and to "refute what it deems to be misinformation about the industry." Kenney said the centre will "counter misinformation" "coming from some environmental groups and others seeking to landlock Alberta's oil and gas".