Danielle Smith has long claimed that federal government policies under ten years of Liberal rule have damaged Alberta’s oil and gas industry by reducing investment, limiting market access, and threatening jobs and economic growth. Like Smith, Pierre Poilievre has repeatedly claimed that Liberal policies have hindered Alberta’s oil and gas sector.
In fact, the oil and gas industry in Alberta has boomed under the Liberals:
- Alberta oil production has never been higher, with production growing 42% since the Liberals took office in 2015.
- Because of Alberta’s oil production growth, Canadian production is at an all-time high, making Canada the fourth largest oil producer in the world.
- The Liberal government financed a $34 billion pipeline to the west coast to expedite the development of Alberta’s oil and gas sector.
Smith’s claims that Alberta’s economic growth has been hindered by the Liberals is false, as shown by the numbers:
- Alberta’s economy has grown much faster than the Canadian average: Alberta grew 2.3% in 2023 versus 1.53% for the Canadian economy as a whole, and 2.7% in 2024 versus 1.6% for Canada.
- Alberta has experienced the nation’s second-highest economic growth since the COVID recession.
Smith and Poilievre apparently don’t care about Canada’s international emissions reduction commitments, as they both rail against Liberal policies such as the emissions cap. Oil and gas production was responsible for 30% of Canada’s emissions in 2023 and Canada needs to do more, not less, to address them. Oil sands, which are the most emissions-intensive form of oil, comprise 66% of current Canadian oil production and are the main source of future production growth.
The chart below illustrates Canadian oil production by province from 2001 to 2025, including the years that the Liberals have been in power.
Chart © Hughes GSR Inc. | Data from Canada Energy Regulator – 12 month trailing average, June 2025
David Hughes is an earth scientist who has studied the energy resources of Canada for four decades, including 32 years with the Geological Survey of Canada.
