Premier Danielle Smith seizing opportunity to advance Alberta's energy agenda during G7 summit

Calgary Herald

10 hours ago

Premier Danielle Smith says the G7 Leaders' Summit is an opportunity to promote Alberta's energy ambitions to an eager international audience.
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Smith, who met with Pete Hoekstra, the U.S. Ambassador to Canada, in Calgary on Saturday, will greet leaders from G7 and non-member nations when they arrive in the city Sunday.
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She'll also host an evening reception in Calgary on Monday for non-member countries attending the Kananaskis summit and hold bilateral meetings throughout the three-day gathering, according to her office.
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Speaking on her call-in radio show Saturday, the premier said she's 'excited' the summit is being held in Alberta as talk of advancing national energy infrastructure projects is growing.
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'Every leader that I've met with … every one of them, is talking about how they wish that they could get more supply of energy from a reliable supplier like Canada. There is a business case. We just have to get the pipeline networks built so that we can get them to market,' she said.
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'I think this is a wonderful opportunity to showcase Alberta to the world and have that message.'
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It was a pleasure meeting with U.S. Ambassador to Canada, @USAmbCanada, and U.S. Consul General, Emily Fleckner along with my Senior Advisor on the United States, @JamesRajotte. The United States remains Alberta's largest trading partner, and we're committed to strengthening that… pic.twitter.com/3za2Wn8NxV
— Danielle Smith (@ABDanielleSmith) June 14, 2025
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The premier's office has not identified who Smith is scheduled to meet with during the summit.
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The gathering, hosted by Prime Minister Mark Carney, brings together leaders of the world's richest democracies — the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Canada, along with the European Union.
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Also attending at Carney's invitation are Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, along with the leaders of Australia, Brazil, Mexico, South Africa and South Korea.
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Energy security is listed on the G7 program as the focus of a Tuesday afternoon session. Bilateral talks will also be held across the three days.
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'I'm really hopeful that the G7 come together and have a positive statement about the role Alberta and Canada can play in providing global energy security, on reducing emissions as well as making sure that we're reducing global energy poverty,' Smith said Saturday.
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Carney has decided the G7 nations won't issue a joint communique at the summit's conclusion Tuesday. The leaders will instead release shorter 'action-oriented' joint statements on various topics.
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Smith travelled to Japan and South Korea in April to advance Alberta's energy resources and was in Washington, D.C. earlier this month to attend a series of industry forums.
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Of her meeting with Hoekstra on Saturday, Smith posted: 'The United States remains Alberta's largest trading partner, and we're committed to strengthening that relationship, free of tariffs and full of opportunity. Together, we can secure long-term energy supply and build a more prosperous future for both Canadians and Americans.'
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The G7 summit occurs as Carney is working with the country's premiers to identify projects of national interest.