Alberta
These are the key people Jason Kenney will be leaning on to help him lead the province
From the United Conservative Party
Premier Designate names senior staff
Team members include:
- Jamie Huckabay, Chief of Staff to the Premier: Born and raised in Lethbridge, Jamie was Chief of Staff to the Opposition Leader and UCP Caucus. Prior to this role, Jamie was a key member for Jason Kenney’s PC Leadership Campaign leading convention operations. Jamie has considerable private and public sector experience. He was previously Director at mobile technology firm Taplytics and Vice President at Gerson Lehrman Group. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Lethbridge, Masters in International Relations and Economics from Johns Hopkins University and an MBA from Oxford University. As the Chief administrator, Jamie will oversee political operations and implementation of the Premier’s agenda and priorities.
- Howard Anglin, Principal Secretary: Howard is a lawyer who served in the former federal Conservative government as Chief of Staff to the Premier Designate in his role as Minister of Citizenship and Immigration and as Deputy Chief of Staff to former Prime Minister Stephen Harper. He has degrees from McGill University and New York University, worked as a lawyer in private practice at international law firms in New York, London, and Washington, DC, and was most recently a constitutional lawyer running a national legal charity in Calgary. As the administration’s most senior political advisor, Howard will provide expert advice and direction to the Premier and Executive Council.
- Katy Merrifield, Executive Director of Communication and Planning: Katy is a long-time senior political aide from British Columbia. She served a variety of roles in the BC government including Chief of Staff to the Minister of Health and Jobs, Tourism and Economic Development, culminating as the Director of Communications to former B.C. Premier Christy Clark. She is also the first woman and youngest person to win a provincial leadership campaign in BC with the successful election of Andrew Wilkinson as current Leader of the Opposition. Katy will lead and execute the agenda for political communications and policy announcements.
- Christine Myatt, Deputy Director of Communications and Press Secretary:Christine is a long-time political aide from Alberta, having served in multiple senior communications roles in previous Alberta governments and most recently as Director of Strategic Communications for the Official Opposition. As Deputy Communications Director, Christine will be the primary contact for media relations.
- David Knight Legg, Head of Transition: David moved back to Alberta last year to advise the Premier Designate’s team on trade and finance. He originally hails from Lethbridge, where he received his undergraduate degree. David also has a Masters in Public Administration from Queens University, a PhD from Yale and a law degree from Oxford University. His professional background includes McKinsey and Company, Managing Director for Europe and Asia for the Gerson Lehrman Group and Global Head of Strategy at Commonwealth Bank. As Head of Transition, David is overseeing an orderly and seamless transition into government for the incoming administration.
Premier Danielle Smith issued the following statement on the April 2, 2025 U.S. tariff announcement:
“Today was an important win for Canada and Alberta, as it appears the United States has decided to uphold the majority of the free trade agreement (CUSMA) between our two nations. It also appears this will continue to be the case until after the Canadian federal election has concluded and the newly elected Canadian government is able to renegotiate CUSMA with the U.S. administration.
“This is precisely what I have been advocating for from the U.S. administration for months.
“It means that the majority of goods sold into the United States from Canada will have no tariffs applied to them, including zero per cent tariffs on energy, minerals, agricultural products, uranium, seafood, potash and host of other Canadian goods.
“There is still work to be done, of course. Unfortunately, tariffs previously announced by the United States on Canadian automobiles, steel and aluminum have not been removed. The efforts of premiers and the federal government should therefore shift towards removing or significantly reducing these remaining tariffs as we go forward and ensuring affected workers across Canada are generously supported until the situation is resolved.
“I again call on all involved in our national advocacy efforts to focus on diplomacy and persuasion while avoiding unnecessary escalation. Clearly, this strategy has been the most effective to this point.
“As it appears the worst of this tariff dispute is behind us (though there is still work to be done), it is my sincere hope that we, as Canadians, can abandon the disastrous policies that have made Canada vulnerable to and overly dependent on the United States, fast-track national resource corridors, get out of the way of provincial resource development and turn our country into an independent economic juggernaut and energy superpower.”
From the Fraser Institute
By any measure, Alberta is an energy powerhouse—within Canada, but also on a global scale. In 2023, it produced 85 per cent of Canada’s oil and three-fifths of the country’s natural gas. Most of Canada’s oil reserves are in Alberta, along with a majority of natural gas reserves. Alberta is the beating heart of the Canadian energy economy. And energy, in turn, accounts for one-quarter of Canada’s international exports.
Consider some key facts about the province’s energy landscape, as noted in the Alberta Energy Regulator’s (AER) 2023 annual report. Oil and natural gas production continued to rise (on a volume basis) in 2023, on the heels of steady increases over the preceding half decade. However, the dollar value of Alberta’s oil and gas production fell in 2023, as the surging prices recorded in 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine retreated. Capital spending in the province’s energy sector reached $30 billion in 2023, making it the leading driver of private-sector investment. And completion of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project has opened new offshore export avenues for Canada’s oil industry and should boost Alberta’s energy production and exports going forward.
In a world striving to address climate change, Alberta’s hydrocarbon-heavy energy sector faces challenges. At some point, the world may start to consume less oil and, later, less natural gas (in absolute terms). But such “peak” consumption hasn’t arrived yet, nor does it appear imminent. While the demand for certain refined petroleum products is trending down in some advanced economies, particularly in Europe, we should take a broader global perspective when assessing energy demand and supply trends.
Looking at the worldwide picture, Goldman Sachs’ 2024 global energy forecast predicts that “oil usage will increase through 2034” thanks to strong demand in emerging markets and growing production of petrochemicals that depend on oil as the principal feedstock. Global demand for natural gas (including LNG) will also continue to increase, particularly since natural gas is the least carbon-intensive fossil fuel and more of it is being traded in the form of liquefied natural gas (LNG).
Against this backdrop, there are reasons to be optimistic about the prospects for Alberta’s energy sector, particularly if the federal government dials back some of the economically destructive energy and climate policies adopted by the last government. According to the AER’s “base case” forecast, overall energy output will expand over the next 10 years. Oilsands output is projected to grow modestly; natural gas production will also rise, in part due to greater demand for Alberta’s upstream gas from LNG operators in British Columbia.
The AER’s forecast also points to a positive trajectory for capital spending across the province’s energy sector. The agency sees annual investment rising from almost $30 billion to $40 billion by 2033. Most of this takes place in the oil and gas industry, but “emerging” energy resources and projects aimed at climate mitigation are expected to represent a bigger slice of energy-related capital spending going forward.
Like many other oil and gas producing jurisdictions, Alberta must navigate the bumpy journey to a lower-carbon future. But the world is set to remain dependent on fossil fuels for decades to come. This suggests the energy sector will continue to underpin not only the Alberta economy but also Canada’s export portfolio for the foreseeable future.
Jock Finlayson
Senior Fellow, Fraser Institute
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