Gil McGowan's Upcoming Energy Conversations with Avi Lewis, Naheed Nenshi

Why It Matters

The AFL’s alignment with the NDP could reshape Alberta’s energy policy, fostering a transition to material‑based industries that protect jobs while addressing global decarbonisation pressures.

Key Takeaways

• Alberta AFL’s agenda aligns with federal NDP on wages, services.
• Energy policy is the only major divergence between AFL and NDP.
• AFL proposes shifting bitumen to material production, like carbon fiber.
• Global demand for fossil fuels declining; renewables gaining cost advantage.
• Labor seeks nuanced dialogue, not “drill baby drill” or shutdown.

Summary

In a candid interview, Gil McGowan, president of the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL), discusses the growing convergence between the AFL’s worker‑focused agenda and the newly elected federal NDP leader, Abby Lewis. While the two share common ground on wages, a $20 minimum wage, public auto insurance and stronger regulation of power, the conversation pivots to the one area where they differ: Alberta’s energy future.

McGowan outlines the AFL’s “worker agenda,” a policy platform mirroring Lewis’s proposals, and emphasizes that 90 % of their positions already align. The remaining 10 % centers on how to manage the province’s oil and gas sector amid a global shift toward renewables, rising costs of fossil fuels and geopolitical volatility. He stresses that demand for bitumen is waning and that the labour movement must prepare for a lower‑carbon economy.

Quoting the famous Wayne Gretzky line, McGowan urges Alberta to “skate to where the puck is going,” suggesting the province repurpose its bitumen into high‑value materials such as carbon‑fiber composites. This pivot could generate new, skilled jobs without relying on additional pipelines, offering a pragmatic alternative to the traditional “drill‑baby‑drill” stance.

The implications are significant: if the AFL can steer both federal and provincial NDP leaders toward a nuanced, diversification‑focused energy strategy, Alberta could transition to a more resilient economy while protecting workers’ interests. The dialogue also signals a potential policy shift that balances climate realities with labour’s demand for stable, well‑paid employment.

Original Description

Gil McGowan, president of the Alberta Federation of Labor, lays out a clear-eyed view of the tensions shaping the NDP—federal and provincial—as Avi Lewis takes the helm in Ottawa and Naheed Nenshi charts his course in Alberta.

This isn’t a simple “for or against oil and gas” conversation. It’s about something deeper: how workers, policymakers, and political leaders respond to shifting global energy demand, rising economic anxiety, and the realities of the energy transition.

McGowan argues that the real pressure on Alberta’s oil and gas sector isn’t coming from politicians—it’s coming from global markets, technological change, and declining demand signals.

And instead of choosing between “drill, baby, drill” and “shut it all down,” he makes the case for a third path—one grounded in ownership, adaptation, and new industrial strategy, including ideas like using bitumen for advanced materials like carbon fibre.

Alberta’s labour movement is stepping into one of the most important debates in Canadian energy: what comes next. The question isn’t whether change is coming. It’s whether Alberta is ready to meet it.

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