Thank you very much, Chairman Benoit.
And good morning, everyone.
I will try very hard to stay within the five- to seven-minute presentation time, but we're politicians. We'll do our best.
It is a welcome opportunity to appear before the committee today. The Government of Alberta has been undertaking an advocacy campaign for the past year relative to responsible energy development, especially as it relates to the oil sands in Alberta. I view this as another opportunity to ensure that Canadians better understand how important this resource is to the country.
The International Energy Agency expects the world's energy demand will increase by 40% over the next 20 years, and oil will remain the dominant fuel to meet that demand. There are 170 billion barrels of oil in the oil sands that are recoverable with today's technology. That accounts, however, for only one-tenth of the total reserves. And if we're even able to double those recoverable reserves—and I believe we will soon, through new technologies—Alberta would place well ahead of Saudi Arabia, the world leader today in total proven reserves.
One in every six Albertans owes his or her livelihood directly or indirectly to the energy sector. And it's not just Albertans who are benefiting. Tens of thousands of Canadian jobs across this great country are directly or indirectly tied to the success of our industry. There are some 28,000 workers who live in camps in northern Alberta, and more than half of them fly in and out every week or every two weeks from their homes east of the Manitoba-Ontario border. This industry requires billions of dollars in pumps, valves, motors, and other equipment that is manufactured in central Canada. So these jobs mean that Canadians are paying taxes to the federal and other provincial governments, not just to Alberta.
In 2009 Albertans paid an estimated $40 billion to the federal government in taxes and other payments, while getting back less than half that amount, $19 billion, in federal services. So that's a net contribution of $21 billion that is used to support federal programs outside of Alberta.
A healthy economy is also the means to drive high-tech environmental changes. It's only because we have a thriving economy that we can afford to fund research into renewable technologies. It's only because we have a thriving economy that we can fund a $2 billion carbon capture and sequestration initiative to meet more stringent emission controls. And we're the only government in North America that places a CO2 cap on large emitters. Companies that exceed the cap must pay into a fund, which now has collected almost $200 million since it was created in 2007, and the proceeds are allocated to new environmental technologies.
Now over 3.5 million people choose to call Alberta home. They love their forests, rivers, and valleys and will not allow irresponsible resource development. Albertans care deeply about their environment, and they want their government to make that commitment as well. So ensuring responsible development of oil and gas is a provincial responsibility that we take very seriously. Albertans own the resources, they want them developed responsibly, and they will accept nothing less.
The Energy Resources Conservation Board is the province's regulator of oil and gas development, and it's recognized as a world leader. It is adaptable to changing circumstances to deal with new unconventional discoveries, such as oil sands, shale gas, and horizontal drilling.
While the National Energy Board has jurisdiction over such things as regulating cross-border transmission, the provincial agency ensures that our industry is in compliance. Environmental protection is a more shared responsibility, with provincial and federal regulators working closely together. A good example is in air quality, where the comprehensive air management system is developed by the Council of Ministers of the Environment and reflects shared responsibility for air quality in Canada.
Canadians can be assured that we have a clean, secure supply of energy. The federal minister and I, as co-chairs of next year's federal-provincial-territorial energy ministers' meeting, have committed to working toward a national clean energy strategy. This call has also come from other organizations, the most recent being the Canadian Council of Chief Executives.
So Alberta, in conjunction with Natural Resources Canada, will lead the coordination of this work toward a set of common goals and objectives that all governments in Canada can agree on, which will shape a clean energy strategy. This is another example of how we must all work together for a common goal. No one is served by political leaders not respecting each others' jurisdiction in our federation, and we can work together from a foundation of trust that only comes from respecting federal, provincial, and territorial authority. With this trust, we can build and enable the amazing diversity and strengths we have regarding energy right across our country.
In conclusion, I would like to invite your committee to visit Alberta and tour the oil sands. But I would say maybe wait until next spring.