An Alberta economist says the province is about to change from being an engine driving the Canadian economy to an anchor slowing recovery.

Todd Hirsch, a senior economist with the Alberta Treasury Branch, said he believes low energy prices will continue to have a major effect on Alberta's economy, and that will affect the entire country.

"I think that the fact that Alberta and Western Canada might be now a little bit slower coming out of the recession will keep the Canadian economy's overall growth a little bit slower," he said.

"When you look at where we were expecting growth in 2010 to be nationally, I think it might be a little bit weaker. A lot of that might be because of the weakness in the energy sector and in Alberta."

He said Alberta's economy was looking up until last year, when the price of oil and natural gas started to fall.

"It looked like Alberta may be able to avoid a recession because those energy prices remained high, but throughout the later part of '08 and into 2009, Alberta is deep into recession."

Alberta's unemployment rate has more than doubled since 2008 to 7.4 per cent.

Hirsch expects it will continue to climb, but predicts it will not reach double-digit figures as it did in the 1980s.