Those two words have circled around the Canadian oilpatch like ants at a picnic for more than a decade, often driven by the thorny political debate in the country about building new oil pipelines.

Varcoe: 'Significant uncertainty': Independent Alberta would still have oil and gas, but how would separation affect market access? Back to video

Would Alberta face new or different market access constraints as a separate country?

Market access could become one of several key issues in the broader debate about the economic ramifications of Alberta separation on the energy sector, according to a report by the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy released this week.

“Separation presents a potential opportunity for Alberta to improve productivity in the resource sector, allowing the province to better exploit its non-renewable resources,” states a technical study, one of several prepared as part of a broader report examining the consequences of Alberta leaving Canada.

SUBSCRIBER EXCLUSIVE: FP West: Energy Insider brings you behind the oilpatch’s closed doors with exclusive insights from insiders every Wednesday morning.

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“But improved resource-sector performance is contingent on continued market access, both to the (rest of Canada) and, far more importantly, to the U.S. market, which in turn requires a favourable attitude from Washington and strong world energy prices.”

The study commissioned by the provincial government was released as part of an analysis into the economic and fiscal implications of Alberta leaving Canada. It was unveiled ahead of........

© Calgary Herald