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While the Canadian Energy Centre was able to exchange its old logo for a new one, Albertans don’t have that option with the CEC itself. For better or for worse, this is the “war room” we have and this is the “war room” we are stuck with.

It can certainly be argued that there is a need for something like the CEC, or at least a more general need for more effective promotion and defence of our energy sector. However, it does not automatically follow that the CEC’s creation alone has accomplished anything. Ultimately, what matters is credibility and competence; if the CEC has neither of those things, then our significant investment in this venture will have been wasted.

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It’s far too early to judge the success or failure of the CEC, but it is fair to say the centre has had an inauspicious start. And first impressions can be hard to correct.

The logo gaffe may have been the first introduction to the CEC for many Albertans. Launching with what turned out to be a logo copied from an American software company seems like the sort of blunder that is hard to square with the centre’s $30-million annual budget and all of its purported savvy.