Alberta fights anti-oilsands 'propaganda'

The Alberta government willroll out initiatives over the next few weeks to combat what it calls "propaganda campaigns" against the province's oilsands projects.

Energy Minister Ron Liepert says both the province and the oil and gas industry are under attack from well-funded international groups.

Liepert says in text of a speech to the Calgary Chamber of Commerce that those groups paint Alberta as uncaring of the environment during a time of "international environmental correctness."

He says people outside Alberta need to understand how Canada's oilsands benefitthem financially.

Liepert's strongly worded defence of the oilsands comes a week after the province announced new measures meant to help Alberta's conventional oil and natural gas producers compete.

He says the announcement reducing provincial royalties was a turning point for the relationship between the government and the industry.