The Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) is the single regulator of energy development in Alberta, with a mandate to provide for the “safe, efficient, orderly, and environmentally responsible development” of hydrocarbon resources in the province.¹

The Canadian Gas Association (CGA) is an industry association representing and advancing the interests of Canada’s natural gas distribution sector. Its members consist of natural gas distribution and transmission companies, equipment manufacturers and other service providers.

The C.D. Howe Institute is a free-market-oriented think tank based in Toronto, and one of Canada’s oldest research institutes. Its predecessor, the Private Planning Association of Canada, was established in 1958 to study public economic policy, a mission that C.D. Howe has continued from its formal inception in 1973. The institute’s policy agenda now covers an array of topics, including tax policy, international economics, health care and energy.²

The Business Council of British Columbia (BCBC) is a prominent industry association with over 250 member companies and organizations.³ Much like its national counterpart, the Business Council of Canada, the BC Council promotes right-leaning policies emphasizing low taxes, deregulation and support for fossil fuel industries. The BCBC claims that it “regularly contributes to public-policy development at the provincial level,”⁴ hinting at its role as a powerful lobbyist and event convener on behalf of corporate interests throughout the province.

The Alberta Chamber of Resources (ACR) is an industry association that represents and advances the interests of Alberta’s extractive industries, including mining, energy, and forestry sectors, as well as the companies providing infrastructure and services to resource development.⁵

Canada Action is a populist pro-oil advocacy organization that promotes fossil fuel production as a matter of national interest and frequently attacks the environmental movement.

The Macdonald-Laurier Institute (MLI) is a right-wing think tank based in Ottawa. Founded in 2010, MLI is one of Canada’s youngest think tanks. MLI claims to be “the only non-partisan, independent public policy think tank in Ottawa focusing on the full range of issues that fall under the jurisdiction of the federal government.”⁶ Its political ties and the materials it produces suggest MLI is a key source of conservative ideas.

Since its founding in 2005, the Manning Centre (also known as the Manning Centre for Building Democracy) has provided research, advocacy and training for those committed to advancing conservatism in Canada. Based in Calgary, the Centre’s leadership has included key proponents of the fossil fuel sector.