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For a federal election that produced no majority winner, there were certainly a lot of losers — and you can expect much of Alberta went to bed Monday feeling like the province and its economy emerged as the biggest dud of all.

The minority government mess resulting from what was one of the most petty, divisive campaigns of our time leaves a lot of unanswered questions and a lot of mixed emotions across the country.

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But in Alberta, I suspect the feelings are generally more definitive: anxiety and frustration, if not outright disgust.

Going into the campaign, the voting outcome within the province was never much of a mystery; the only question was whether the Conservatives would sweep all 34 ridings or whether the Liberals or NDP might squeak out a seat or two in Edmonton.

The real riddle for Albertans was how the province’s pleas on energy policy would be received by the rest of the country.

The answer, it seems, was not as hoped, and it’s a reality Albertans and their political leaders will soon need to accept — particularly when it comes to climate change.