When people aren't talking about jobs and the US recession, talk centers around investing in renewal energy and relieving our dependency on expensive Middle Eastern oil. But, this may take a while and the Middle East is a sensitive and volatile market. So, if you’re an investor in the oil market and still would like to invest, is now still a good time to invest in oil? Keith Kohl, writer and energy investment expert for e-zine Energy & Capital online, wrote "The Canadian Oil Sands Investments are going to play a huge role in meeting our oil demand," The online article goes on to say "Alberta's oil sands are on the verge of another boom." So is this true? Is there money to be made investing in Canadian oil?

According to resource experts, there's over 175 billion barrels underneath Alberta Canada – a significant amount of oil. Experts evaluate this as the second largest oil reserve in the world. Investors should be cautious however because Canada's crude is a little different. Enery & Capital defines Canadian Oil Sands as simply a mixture of bitumen, water, sand and clay. Bitumen is a form of thick, heavy crude. Not exactly the same stuff as the Middle East, but if extracted correctly could yield sizable results.

One such prominent oil producer in Canada is Canadian Natural Resources Limited. They are an oil and natural gas company which operates in Alberta Canada. In the late 1980's, Canadian Natural was an oil and natural gas company with 9 employees producing about 1,400 barrels of oil per day with a market capitalization of about $1 million. Today, it boasts approximately 3,800 employees, produces over 565,000 barrels of oil per day with a market value of approximately $30 billion.

Canada possesses four key elements that could attract US and other investors. Canada has a stable political environment, strong fiscal policies, sound banking and favorable taxation. Canada's stable political environment - something investors love and the Middle East can't guarantee presently - is based similarly to the US and based on a similar British origin. Canada's dollar has remained fairly stable throughout the global economic crisis. Prior to 2008, Canada had a string of consecutive years of surplus which gives investors confidence. Canadian banks, which didn't require economic bailouts, have been ranked as some of the soundest in the world by World Economic Forum. Finally, and perhaps best of all, is the Canadian tax structure which only requires tax on interest and dividend income be withheld, not on capital gains.

As of July 14, 2010 Canadian Natural Resources was listed as one of the top 15 companies in Canada. While its core holdings are in western Canada, it has also expanded its operations of senior crude oil and Gold Production. They have operations in the United Kingdom’s portions of the North Sea and Offshore West Africa.