Falice Chin

My latest for @TheHubCanada Alberta is testing the boundary from owning resources to developing them. This has manifested in its various royalty-in-kind programs; equity stakes in pipelines and refineries; and even the floating of a Crown corporation to build and own natural gas pipelines, albeit later dismissed. I don’t think Alberta has yet crossed a line. But what is a conservative government if not one that participates in the market reluctantly, and with regret, and with a clear exit strategy? What we are seeing instead is a government that seems to be seeking opportunities to become a market participant, keeping its options open and numerous, and making deals that could otherwise be left to firms. There is a place for market interventionism in some extenuating circumstances. I won’t suggest otherwise. But the political culture in Alberta is such that it should be practiced as a last resort, not a first resort. thehub.ca/2026/10/19/is-albe…