Emily Kneteman is the Director of Health and Technology at Alberta Counsel, supporting multinational organizations with Canadian investments and promoting Alberta’s innovation ecosystem. She connects industry, community, and government partners and brings experience in economic development, fundraising, and community building.
A shifting global landscape is being reshaped by rising great‑power competition, economic weaponisation, and waning faith in traditional multilateral institutions. Middle‑power nations are urged to form flexible coalitions and pursue pragmatic, value‑based realism to safeguard stability, trade, and security amid an emerging “world of fortresses.”
Canada’s economic revival hinges on risk takers, not just policy papers. AEG echoes Derrick Hunter’s call to “release the animal spirits” of bold entrepreneurs. Clear, predictable policies unlock confidence, driving SME growth, job creation, and global competitiveness – essential for a resilient, prosperous Canada.
Mark Carney’s decisive break from reliance on the United States outlines how his recent speeches frame the post American era as a period of fragmented norms and renewed sovereign strategy. Middle powers must abandon nostalgic assumptions, adopt pragmatic partnerships, and confront a rupturing global order that no longer guarantees prosperity or security.
This nuanced analysis explores whether today’s global power play resembles a strategic game of chess or a simplistic round of checkers. Diplomatic maneuvers, economic levers, and security calculations are constantly in play where modern geopolitics demands foresight, layered planning, and adaptive tactics far beyond the binary moves of a checkers board.
Ottawa’s recent memorandum of understanding promises a new oil‑pipeline to the West Coast, but the measure is framed as insufficient to heal Alberta’s long‑standing sense of alienation. Critics argue that the pipeline will merely shift the fiscal burden, leave the province with a “pipe dream,” and fail to address deeper grievances over equalization payments, high taxes, and perceived central‑Canada dominance.
Ottawa’s latest tariff regime is portrayed as protecting Ontario’s steel sector, yet the policy is being felt most acutely in Western Canada. Higher rail costs, subsidies that fall short, and delayed infrastructure projects are cited as consequences, while regional tensions rise as provinces outside Ontario shoulder the financial burden.
Innovation fuels Alberta’s economy when ideas are adopted, scaled, and translated into productivity. On Monday, January 26, Alberta Enterprise Group hosts a timely discussion with Minister Nate Glubish on innovation, AI infrastructure, and policy. This forward-looking conversation explores how Alberta can turn talent and technology into sustained economic growth and globally competitive companies.
Canada’s heavy oil advantage is shifting from U.S. displacement to offshore growth. With Venezuela’s production stuck in long term distress and China eyeing replacement barrels, Canadian blends – Alberta, WCS, Cold Lake, Lloydminster – are uniquely positioned. The new Trans Mountain expansion unlocks tide water access, letting Canada capture the biggest heavy oil realignment of the decade.
Alberta’s heavy oil sector stays resilient despite higher carbon taxes and tighter decarbonisation rules. With Venezuelan oilsand output falling, Alberta’s in situ extraction remains a strong substitute for U.S. Gulf Coast demand, keeping sales steady – for now. The article argues there’s no immediate cause for panic, but warns against pipeline delays and policy lag.
