Federal Provincial Energy Conference Sponsored by Big Oil

Earlier this week a coalition of environmental groups revealed that the Canadian Federal Provincial Energy Conference is being sponsored by several energy companies.

Eleven companies and associations are spending an unprecedented $180,000 to pay for nearly a third of the $600,000 price tag. The sponsorship is an attempt by the petroleum industry to influence people who will be making crucial decisions about Canada's energy future. The sponsors have access to key individuals and they are given a high profile on the website for the conference.

Here is a breakdown of the money provided by Corporate sponsors:

$30,000: Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers.

$20,000: The Oil Sands Developers Group, Nexen, TransCanada, Cenovus Energy.

$10,000: Devon, Canadian Electricity Association, Shell, Encana Natural Gas, Enbridge, Canadian Energy Pipeline Association, Canadian Petroleum Products Institute.

Referring to the conference, Sierrra Club Executive Director John Bennett said,

"We have the big oil picking up the tab. Is the Alberta government so broke that it has to do this? It smells bad and sends the wrong message to Canadians."

Graham Saul from the Climate Action Network said: