Some quick and unsolicited advice for Seamus O’Regan, our new Minister of Natural Resources

First of all, congratulations Minister! In my humble opinion, Natural Resources is one of the most interesting, challenging, and important files in government. Billions of dollars of GDP, tax revenue, and potential investment, and hundreds of thousands of jobs depend on the strength and nimbleness of our Federal Government’s approach to the way this file is handled.

These questions are of course all the more critical in the midst of a global energy transition that is disrupting the industries under your watch in a way that Silicon Valley upstarts can only dream of. The transition away from coal; the shale gas revolution; the rapidly changing markets and financial structures for crude; the race towards carbon eliminating technologies; the growth and integration of renewables into our energy mix are but a few. All of these will be challenges for Canada in the coming decades. And present real opportunities for Canadian ingenuity and entrepreneurship.

The decisions made in the next few years are crucial. They will decide which path Canada, with a long tradition of natural resources being a key part of our economy, will take. Will we grow our leadership and advantage in these industries, or sit by and be surpassed by nations and companies willing to take the bull by the horns as they compete to be the best, lowest carbon and most cost-competitive producers? Much of what you do will impact our future.

The question is, how to start? I won’t here talk about government or provincial matters in Edmonton. You should seek advice on that from those closest to the current Alberta government. But I do have some thoughts about how to approach your new position as far as Calgary’s industry is concerned. So below are my six unsolicited pieces of some obvious and maybe not so obvious advice.

1.  Ask that you be allowed to pick a Senior Advisor for your office who is based in Calgary. This person should be someone you trust and who has your ear. It’s critical to have a presence in Calgary; not only is it the city with the second-largest number of head offices in Canada, but it is, of course, the heart of our oil, gas, and energy infrastructure industry. Some will say this person should be “known to the patch” already; my view is that their direct line to you is what’s important. There are some advantages to having someone people need to get to know, and who don’t have any seen allegiances in such a competitive culture.

Calgary’s business community is impressive and tightly connected. Rumours travel fast, and are hard to pick up from afar. You need someone on the ground who can attend all of the breakfasts, lunches, and charitable events to keep an ear to the ground. Most crucially, you need someone people can call to ask questions and share advice, or that you can reach out to for such input. I believe the PMO also needs someone like this, perhaps in Edmonton. I would say having someone in Calgary is even more critical for you.

2. Plan a solid week in Calgary and take meetings with everyone you can as soon as you can. I know this sounds obvious, but I also know that the rigours of a minority government will make it difficult for you to be mobile at times. All the more reason to start with an aggressive tour as soon as possible. My honest advice would be to try to at least do half a week before the session. There are all sorts of fine people who can give you a list and set up a series of one on one meetings before Parliament resumes. Even if you could do say a roundtable, a series of one-on-ones with senior executives, and a private dinner in the course of 48 hours, this will go a long way to getting you off on the right foot.

3. You’ll notice above I don’t include the regular thing Ottawa folks do – a Chamber lunch or breakfast. I would highly recommend you do this, but suggest that you get your legs under you first. Get to know your key stakeholders and your files. This doesn’t mean you can’t have a media availability or do an interview to let people know you’re here and listening. Of course, you should. But I would recommend doing just that: show you’re listening; show how open minded you are; show your curiosity and your belief in Canadian producers and workers in the sector to innovate even further as they create wealth for our country. Calgarians and Albertans appreciate, like the rest of Canada, honesty, humility, and openness.

4.  One caveat on the communications side of this: I would highly recommend an early start on being a champion of our country’s natural resources to the international markets. I don’t mean you need to go overseas. I believe giving interviews to some specific business-focused outlets to show your passion for oil, gas, mining, energy infrastructure to international outlets would be a good idea. Send a signal to the markets. Send a signal to producers and others that you will, as Minister Carr always so eloquently did, proudly represent the work they do and will do for Canada.

5.  Issues. There’s so much to get on top of. Currently, the CN strike is top of mind, of course. Staying on top of those negotiations and considering mitigation to assist producers will be critical. Right now, the overwhelming challenges for oil and gas are the bills formerly known as C-69 and C-48, as well as the ensured completion of TMX. The Prime Minister has recently stated the government would consider changes to C-69, so take that to heart and get ready to ask for and to be the leading voice in cabinet for solutions.

6.  Last but not least: prepare to be amazed and ready to become an ambassador for the great communities, men and women, and families who work in our natural resources sector. Say and think what you will about the #wexit and anger coming out of Alberta, these folks are feeling disconnected. And they have so much to offer to Canada, still and for a long time to come. There are people, from all over the country and the world, which are here to work in this sector, and are proud to continually look for ways for Canada to be leading.

Whether it’s addressing our urgent climate change challenges, or getting the best value for our resources; whether it’s creating the kind of jobs that sustain families and grow communities and welcome new Canadians; whether it’s doing our part to pay for health care and education and the transition to cleaner energy, these are the folks doing the heavy lifting. I know you will get that pretty quickly. And I’m sure you will be a great champion for these industries in this next government.