It was hard for me to imagine how Leading the North 2014
could be any better than the Leading the North conference I attended in 2012. I
mean, the 2012 conference was where I met Ian Hill the first time, someone I
have come to respect and admire. And it was where I met Peter Mansbridge (after
admittedly stalking him on Twitter). I mean, how can you top Mansbridge?!?
Yet Leading the North 2014 managed to top the 2012
conference, and I was honoured to be in attendance for the majority of the
speakers at the conference. It was a wide-ranging conversation about oil sands,
education, communities, cities and life in the north. And it all began with a
rousing address from Rex Murphy of CBC, noted radio host and the most ardent
ambassador our region has.
Rex Murphy is not from Fort McMurray, but somehow he has
become impassioned in his defense of us and what we do in this region. Perhaps
it is because he comes from a place that has fought its own battles with the
media, a province that has seen hard times and been the focus of some negative
attention from the world. However it happened, though, Rex is now firmly on our
side in the raging battle to win hearts and minds, and we are truly lucky to
have him.
Anyone who has heard Rex on radio, television or in person
knows that he is a captivating speaker. He enchants the audience with amusing
anecdotes and tales. It is clear he has a sharp intellect and keen wit. I was
delighted to be present when he addressed the Leading the North delegates with
his comments on what we do in Fort McMurray.
Rex said many things, including that we need to be proud of
what we do in our industry that provides tens of thousands of jobs and fuels
the economic engine of the country. He spoke of all the benefits we provide to
families across the country, providing employment and opportunity to tens of
thousands of people who come here to work. He told us we need to stop
apologizing for what we do, stop internalizing the criticisms of those who
disparage us, be proud of the great enterprise in which we are engaged...but it
was one comment that captured me.
Rex Murphy said we are the new national dream.
I read Pierre Berton’s book “The National Dream” at a very
young age. I was captivated by the story of building the railway that connected
our country long before air travel made us global citizens. I found the tale of
how it contributed to the development of Canada as a nation intriguing, because
the railway changed our nation.
And Rex Murphy is, in my opinion, right. The oil sands industry
is the new national dream for Canada.
We are involved in an industry that employs people from all
across our country – and all over the world. It is an industry that provides
not only employment but hope for families who live in provinces where the
unemployment rate is high and families struggle to make ends meet. It is an
industry that inspires the development of new technology, and technology that
can and has been applied in other industries around the world. It is the place
where young professionals like engineers can come right out of university,
their degrees fresh in their hands, and make their careers and be engaged in
fulfilling and challenging work.
Like it or not, it is the industry that fuels the economy of
this country, and provides income for hundreds of thousands of people through
the industry and associated support industries.
There are those who express environmental concerns about oil
sands development, and to be honest I share those concerns and continue to believe
we can and must do better to protect our environment and develop our resource
in a responsible way. But having those concerns in no way negates the
tremendous benefit our industry creates for the people of this country, and for
so many who have come from other countries to share in our industry, our
community and our dream.
The national dream.
I don’t write often about industry because my focus is normally
our community, but that should never be misconstrued as my having any shame or
guilt about what we do in this region. We provide employment for tens of
thousands, we provide families with opportunities and hopes and we are able to
allow people to dream about the future because what we do fuels not just our
cars, not just our economy , but dreams. National dreams.
Thank you, Rex, for reminding me and hundreds of others to
be proud – and to continue sharing what we do as we continue to build the new
national dream in Fort McMurray.
No comments:
Post a Comment