Canadian Energy Centre

Canadian Energy Centre
Canadian Energy Centre Limited
AbbreviationCEC
Nickname"Energy War Room"
Formation11 December 2019; 4 years ago (2019-12-11)
FounderGovernment of Alberta
DissolvedJune 11, 2024; 4 months ago (2024-06-11)
TypeProvincial corporation[a]
HeadquartersCalgary, Alberta
Key people
Tom Olsen, CEO[1]
Budget
CA$30,000,000
Websitecanadianenergycentre.ca

The Canadian Energy Centre Limited (CEC),[3] also commonly called the "Energy War Room",[4][5][6] was an Alberta provincial corporation[a] mandated to promote Alberta's energy industry and rebut "domestic and foreign-funded campaigns against Canada's oil and gas industry".[1]

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[7][8] which was decreased to $CA12 million.[9] The CEC has been the subject of several controversies since its establishment,[10][11] including accusations of plagiarizing logo designs.[12][13] 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.[14]

  1. ^ a b c Olsen, Tom (10 December 2019). "The Canadian Energy Centre aims to tell Canada's energy story". Canadian Energy Centre. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference CBC_Bellefontaine_20191010 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Terms of Use". Canadian Energy Centre. Archived from the original on 21 February 2020. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  4. ^ Villani, Mark (11 December 2019). "Alberta government officially launches 'Energy War Room' in Calgary". CTV News Calgary. Archived from the original on 22 March 2020. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  5. ^ Flavelle, Christopher (12 February 2020). "Global Financial Giants Swear Off Funding an Especially Dirty Fuel". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 23 February 2020. Retrieved 23 February 2020. Then, in December, Alberta opened what it called a war room to attack anyone perceived as criticizing the industry.
  6. ^ Stephenson, Amanda (19 February 2020). "Alberta's 'war room' under attack by organized activists: Savage". Calgary Herald. Postmedia Network. Archived from the original on 23 February 2020. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  7. ^ Heydari, Anis (7 June 2019). "Jason Kenney touts $ 2.84 M 'war room' but provides few details". CBC News. Archived from the original on 9 October 2019. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference CP_20191009 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference French_20220322 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Bennet, Dean (6 January 2020). "Alberta opposition says $2.84 M energy war room a parade of errors, should be shut down". Global News. The Canadian Press. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  11. ^ "EDITORIAL: Strike two for the energy war room". Edmonton Sun. 14 February 2020. Archived from the original on 23 February 2020. Retrieved 23 February 2020.
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference CP_medicinehatnews_20191219a was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference calgaryherald_Kaufmann_20191227 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ Anchan, Mrinali (11 June 2024). "Alberta government dissolves controversial energy 'war room'". CBC News. Retrieved 13 June 2024.


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