The federal government will continue to support the country’s energy sector as it looks to recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and low oil prices, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday.

“I know that if we are to move forward in transforming our economy towards lower emissions, cleaner processes, workers and innovators in Alberta and across the country in the energy sector are going to be an essential part of that transformation," Trudeau told reporters during a press conference on Thursday.

Trudeau’s comments came after he was asked whether he agreed with Green Party parliamentary leader Elizabeth May’s recent assessment that the country's energy sector is “dead.”

“I don’t agree with that assessment," he said.

“We need to support Albertans and other people working in the energy sector through this incredibly difficult time … not just because that’s what we do as Canadians, but because we need their capacity to innovate and figure out how we’re going to move forward toward our greater green goals."

“We can’t do it without them and that’s why we’re going to keep supporting them in the right ways,” Trudeau added, without providing specific details about what additional support measures will be announced for the beleaguered sector.

Last month, Trudeau announced a $2.45-billion aid package for workers in the county’s hard-hit energy sector, including $1.7 billion to help clean up abandoned oil and gas wells.

The government also announced plans to spend $750 million on an emissions-reduction fund. At the time, Trudeau said the initiatives would help maintain 10,000 jobs across the country.