Energy is more than an industry in Alberta — it’s the backbone of the paycheques, public services, and communities that make this province work. Oil and gas, petrochemicals, hydrogen, wind, solar, geothermal: Albertans have built expertise across the whole spectrum. The question the referendum puts to voters is simple: who should have the final say over Alberta’s resources?
The resource belongs to Albertans
Under Canada’s constitution, natural resources are already a provincial responsibility — but the decisions that determine their value are not made in Alberta alone. Pipeline approvals, emissions rules, and export access are shaped elsewhere, often by people with no stake in an Alberta town’s survival. A more self-determined Alberta means the province that owns the resource also holds the pen on the decisions that decide what it’s worth.
More value kept, more jobs at home
When Alberta energy is slowed at the border or discounted for lack of market access, the loss shows up in real places: a delayed project, a laid-off crew, a smaller municipal budget. Getting Alberta’s products to market on fair terms — the subject of our companion piece on trade and market access — keeps more of that value here, funding the schools, hospitals, and roads Albertans rely on.
The province that owns the resource should hold the pen on the decisions that decide what it’s worth.
An all-of-the-above future
Voting YES is not a vote for the past — it’s a vote for control over the future. Alberta’s energy story is increasingly an all-of-the-above story: responsible oil and gas alongside one of the fastest-growing renewable sectors on the continent, plus hydrogen, carbon capture, and geothermal. Decisions made by Albertans, for Albertans, can back the full portfolio instead of picking winners from far away.
- Final say over the resources Alberta already owns.
- Better market access so Alberta products sell at fair value, not a captive discount.
- Energy jobs kept and created across conventional and emerging sectors.
- Revenue reinvested here in the services and infrastructure Albertans use every day.
What about existing operations?
Companies, workers, and investors want certainty, and a YES vote is designed to deliver it through a negotiated process with stability as a priority — not a shock. Existing operations, contracts, and cross-border trade in energy are exactly the kind of practical arrangements a careful transition protects.
See how energy connects to jobs and the wider economy in Alberta’s Economy: Strength, Jobs, and Opportunity, then take the pledge to vote YES.
Frequently Asked Questions
Isn’t energy already a provincial responsibility?
Ownership of resources is provincial, but decisions on pipelines, emissions rules, and export access are shaped federally. A stronger Alberta means the province that owns the resource has the final say over its value.
Is voting YES only about oil and gas?
No. Alberta’s energy future is all-of-the-above — responsible oil and gas alongside fast-growing renewables, hydrogen, carbon capture, and geothermal. Local control lets Albertans back the full portfolio.
What happens to existing energy operations and jobs?
A YES vote begins a negotiated transition with stability as a priority. Existing operations, contracts, and cross-border energy trade are protected through that process.