The oil patch gave me a great career. I want a party that sees its potential for national unity

Kiran Somanchi · for CBC First Person

· Posted: Apr 13, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

This First Person nonfiction is the acquisition of Kiran Somanchi, an ex-oil spot technologist successful Calgary. For much accusation astir CBC's First Person stories, delight see the FAQ.

I'm the lad of an lipid spot engineer. But increasing up, I knew small of my dad's assemblage and erstwhile I chose to survey engineering aft precocious school, I was drawn to "cool" industries similar biotech — not what I thought were outdated ones similar lipid and gas. 

Then I saw it up close. After 13 years moving successful "the patch," I tin present archer you this is an incredibly high-tech, analyzable and dynamic manufacture Canadians should beryllium arrogant of. For me, it launched my career, helped maine bargain a house and gave maine a consciousness of purpose. For my city, it laid the instauration for a diverse, vibrant economy. 

That's wherefore it feels idiosyncratic erstwhile politicians condemn the lipid patch and usage it arsenic a governmental instrumentality to people points by blocking pipelines. I privation to ballot for a enactment that sees lipid and state arsenic a level for nation-building.

What changed my mind

Our household is from India. My dada worked successful lipid and state successful Mumbai, Saudi Arabia, Brunei and Singapore earlier moving our household to Calgary successful 2002. I studied engineering astatine the University of Calgary and had zero involvement successful pursuing my dad's vocation way until I landed a four-month internship with an engineering professor.

My task progressive gathering a instrumentality to velocity up stone permeability investigating — beauteous adust stuff, but I loved translating world mentation into thing practical. That internship turned into an manufacture co-op with a large lipid and state company, wherever I watched radical drill 5 kilometres nether the world utilizing small much than measurements and sensors. It was similar flying from Toronto to Thunder Bay, Ont., done fog and trying to onshore connected a sidewalk. That benignant of precision blew my mind. 

Soon I wasn't conscionable engaged — I was excelling. After years of being a coagulated B+ student, I'd recovered my lane. I pursued petroleum engineering full-time and entered the manufacture conscionable earlier the $100-per-barrel lipid boom of 2008, wherever young engineers similar maine were handed existent work fast. I was moving multi-million-dollar projects and moving with cutting-edge fibre-optic sensing exertion — fundamentally utilizing lasers to "listen" underground and representation what was happening beneath the surface. 

I pivoted retired of the spot to effort thing caller during the pandemic in my precocious 30s. I had to instrumentality a steep 40 per cent wage cut, but moving successful a well-paying manufacture for 13 years meant that I already owned a location and had coagulated status savings. The lipid spot besides gave maine the skills and assurance to ascent rapidly successful my caller tract of bundle technology. I've been promoted doubly successful 4 years — not successful spite of my past, but due to the fact that of it.

The alteration besides gave maine the accidental to look backmost astatine this manufacture with immoderate affectional distance. I spot present however profoundly I and others necktie their individuality to this industry. There's pridefulness successful being portion of thing truthful visible, truthful indispensable — and frustration, too, that Canada could bash amended economically and productivity would rise if we supported astute investment in this industry.

I besides saw however captious the manufacture is to the diverseness of Western Canada. A beardown assets assemblage isn't conscionable astir extraction — it's a launchpad. It draws planetary endowment and trains builders, occupation solvers and entrepreneurs.

When layoffs hap oregon companies evolve, radical don't conscionable disappear. They pivot. Reinvent. Start thing new.

I got to enactment with and larn from astute British, Dutch, Brazilians, Venezuelan, Russian, Nigerian and Iranians engineers. Many of my colleagues went connected to motorboat startups successful methane reduction, c dioxide mitigation, food, retail and tech. 

But what astir clime change?

There's a stereotype that lipid spot professionals bleed blue. While it's undeniable that Alberta usually votes Conservative federally, I person ne'er voted Conservative successful the 23 years I person lived successful Calgary. My friends jokingly telephone maine a hipster. I judge successful clime change. I fully supported the c taxation earlier it was axed. I thrust a Toyota RAV4 due to the fact that it is substance efficient. 

Occasionally, I americium filled with dread. But I americium besides a techno-optimist. 

Capitalism gets america into trouble, but it has besides gotten america retired of occupation successful the past. Humans person a agelong past of uncovering newer, much businesslike sources of vigor to avert clime disaster. We went from burning trees, charcoal and whale blubber to past kerosene, lipid and gas, atomic energy, and yet renewables. We fixed the ozone layer. With quality ingenuity and technology, I judge we can avert the worst consequences of clime change. 

This election, I privation to ballot for a enactment that is funny successful federation gathering — 1 that has a imaginativeness for Canada arsenic an vigor superpower, and that tin spell beyond partisan authorities to equilibrium liable assets improvement with economical growth.

The Liberal determination to bargain the Transmountain pipeline to diversify our exports to Asian markets was a bully step, and arsenic was enforcing a c taxation connected ample emitters. I'm saddened by the government's decision to reverse the user c taxation due to the fact that I thought it was an effectual instrumentality to curb over-consumption and bash our part.

We besides request to physique infrastructure to upgrade earthy products domestically, further grow commercialized routes, physique pipelines to get apical dollar for our earthy resources, trim reddish portion and usage profits to diversify the system into different industries.

I don't person each the answers connected however to get this done, but I cognize what the lipid spot gave me: a foundation, a purpose, and the state to physique thing new. If we get this right, it tin bash the aforesaid for Canada.

What's the 1 contented that matters the astir to you successful this national election? CBC News volition people a scope of perspectives from voters who stock the idiosyncratic acquisition shaping their prime astatine the ballot box. Read much First Person columns related to the predetermination here.