Calgary’s mayor was a special guest recently on CNBC’s Power Lunch.

Naheed Nenshi used the hit to lobby for greater market access for Alberta oil.

Nenshi also spoke about how Calgary’s economy has become less reliant on energy revenue.

He says not to long ago, “50 per cent of economic activity was a result of energy deals; today that figure is closer to 30 per cent”.

“And because of that, 17 out of 20 global investment banks are there, it’s increasingly becoming a large financial centre,” said Nenshi.

“Once you know how to do deals in energy, you know how to do other deals. So, we’re seeing a lot of tech, a lot of entrepreneurship, a lot of small business, and just as the city grows, as any city does, a lot of services.”

Nenshi also defended the Keystone XL Pipeline Project suggesting the project is barring all the sins of the carbon economy.

He says Keystone is critical–but not vital–adding there are many other options.