ABSTRACT
The nep stressed that “the Government of Canada believes that the oil and gas sector is a unique case, and that special measures not required in other sectors are needed to ensure more Canadian control.” The federal government expected as much. Both as individual firms and as a group through the Canadian Petroleum Association, the foreign majors condemned virtually all aspects of the nep. Imperial Oil is the largest oil company in Canada and has for decades been recognized as the industry leader. Imperial’s emphasis on the fiscal regime is not surprising. Approval for Cold Lake and the Alsands tarsands project had been withheld by Alberta as part of its retaliation against the nep. Imperial also reacted to the changed environment of energy politics represented by the nep by upgrading its Ottawa office by assigning a company vice-president to act as the company representative.
