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OTTAWA — The most powerful woman in American politics played host to some of Canada's top political leaders on Wednesday night.
Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and a leading Democrat in President Barack Obama's Washington, held a dinner at the American ambassador's residence in Ottawa.
In attendance for Canada were federal environment minister Jim Prentice and the premiers of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Quebec.
Pelosi placed the often competing issues of energy security and the environment at the top of the agenda. While Alberta's oil sands are seen as a stable supply of energy from a friendly country, Democrats are under intense pressure from environmentalists to stop importing what they've labelled "dirty oil."
“We do not need to expand into the dirtiest oil,” said Liz Barratt-Brown with the Natural Resources Defense Council, an American environmental group opposed to the expansion of Alberta's oilsands.
Pelosi previously backed American legislation that, if it were implemented, could have had a major impact on oilsands production and cost thousands of jobs across Canada.
“Striking the right balance between energy security and the environment is complex,” said U.S. Ambassador David Jacobson.
Alberta was also pushing for balance.
"I impressed upon her that Alberta is taking the necessary steps to balance energy security with environmental responsibility and economic growth," Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach said after the dinner.
Pelosi’s office was adamant that the speaker was not in Canada to target the oil industry.
“Our discussion focused on more than the oil sands issue,” Pelosi said in a written statement after the meeting. “We discussed the need for aggressive research and development on renewable energy and conservation technology. Our mutual clean energy goals will drive innovation and create millions of jobs on both sides of the border.”
On Thursday, Pelosi is meeting with aboriginal leaders and environmental groups.