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Canada’s oilpatch is not the beacon of co-operation and collaboration it needs to be.

That message was delivered to a Calgary audience at a recent forum that included the head of the U.K. Oil and Gas Authority and representatives from Canada’s energy sector.

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When the U.K. energy sector was on its knees three years ago, the government there embarked on several initiatives to increase investment. This included a benchmarking study to help service companies and address certainty surrounding bidding processes.

The British government understood that a stronger energy sector would boost revenues to meet its budget commitments.

“It’s still a very relevant industry for the U.K.,” said Andy Samuel, chief executive of the U.K. Oil and Gas Authority.

Officials there realized — as former Alberta energy minister Ken Hughes quipped in a recent Globe and Mail column — “tax revenues won’t arrive on a magic ship full of rainbows and unicorns.”