90th Anniversary Conference Feature Speaker: Sonya Savage

Hon. Sonya Savage, KC

Former Minister of Energy and Minister of Environment, Government of Alberta

Ms. Savage is a leading advocate in the energy industry, bringing a rare combination of senior government leadership, corporate executive experience, and private legal practice.

Prior to returning to the private sector in 2023, she served as a Senior Minister in the Government of Alberta, most recently as Minister of Environment and Protected Areas, and previously as Minister of Energy and Minister of Justice and Solicitor General. As Minister of Environment and Protected Areas, Ms. Savage led the development of Alberta’s Emissions Reduction and Energy Development Plan 2023 and modernized Alberta’s industrial carbon pricing and emissions trading system (TIER). She also served as Alberta’s primary intergovernmental representative on federal energy, climate, and environmental policy matters. As Minister of Energy, Ms. Savage oversaw Alberta’s energy and mineral resources, represented the province internationally at OPEC meetings and across the United States and Europe, and led the development of legal, policy, and fiscal frameworks for emerging growth areas including carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS), hydrogen, critical minerals, small modular reactors, geothermal energy, and renewables.

Prior to public office, Ms. Savage held senior executive roles with the Canadian Energy Pipeline Association and Enbridge. She earned a Master of Laws (LLM) in 2015, with a published thesis on the evolving role of the National Energy Board and was appointed King’s Counsel (KC) in 2022.

She is currently Senior Counsel at Borden Ladner Gervais, a Senior Advisor to Navigator, a Senior Fellow at the MacDonald Laurier Institute, and sits on the board of Directors for E3 Lithium and the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo.

Session Details

Governing in the Build Canada Era

Understanding the Challenges of Policy Makers

Drawing on senior government experience, this session examines the practical challenges governments encounter as they respond to trade disruption, economic uncertainty, and public expectations. The discussion will highlight what the resource sector should understand about government decision-making, constraints, and priorities, and how such an understanding can help companies and associations like ACR work with policy makers to advance the Build Canada agenda.