It’s pin the tail on the donkey day.

The Notley NDP government knew one thing for sure.

They did not want to end up being the ass.

Deputy Premier Sarah Hoffman defended the NDP government’s decision to go to court.

Hoffman said they were fighting for Albertans, trying to get us out of a badly-worded fix.

Power companies, hit with the province’s higher carbon levies, want out of contracts to buy electricity.

The companies are triggering a clause in their contracts saying they can get out of the deals if those agreements are made “more unprofitable” by a change in law by the government.

The NDP government says that clause, inked with the previous PC administration many years ago, isn’t fair and won’t hold up in court.

They’re taking the companies to court in November.

Meanwhile, in the months to come, Albertans will be on the hook for higher power bills.

From readers there is a hailstorm of outrage.

Good clause, bad clause or Santa Claus, blame is laid at the NDP’s door, often with a bang, a belch or a bellow.

Opposition politicians and organizations step up to the plate, no doubt smelling blood.

Jason Kenney, the former Harper cabinet minister running to be PC leader in a quest to unite Alberta conservatives in one party, speaks out.

“It’s a total disaster. I can’t remember seeing a more incompetent decision by government, pretending they didn’t even know what their own regulations said.”

Kenney says the clause in the contracts allowing the companies to get out of these agreements is “a normal clause to protect normal businesses from stupid government policy.”

“They are well within their rights,” adds Kenney.

“But it’s not about the companies. It’s not about the contracts. It’s about the NDP’s anti-energy policy.

“They’ve created this crisis. Now there’s a cheap effort to play to the peanut gallery by hiring a high-priced NDP Vancouver lawyer to sue Alberta taxpayers.

“To me, this looks a lot more like theatre than a real legal case. It’s bad political theatre.

“This is a multi-billion dollar goof-up all in the service of their radical ideological agenda. They don’t care what the damage is and now ratepayers are going to be left holding the bag.

“As the British would say, this is a complete and utter shambles.”

Enmax is named in the provincial government lawsuit. Yes, provincial dollars are being used to sue a company 100% owned by the city of Calgary.

Enmax has ditched one contract and the province wants that decision overturned.

The company also wants to get rid of another deal.

Enmax says the total costs of carbon levies for the past five years were about $80 million.

For the next few years it’s in the neighbourhood of $600 million.

The Calgary Chamber of Commerce bangs the drum. Looked they had a little honeymoon going on with the NDP. Now it appears to be Splitsville.

They say the province’s court action is “damaging” and “dangerous.”

It “risks discouraging investment” and “creating an adversarial relationship with businesses.”

It is “an affront to some of the basic principles that govern our society.”

They speak of the NDP government’s “legal machinations” and “incendiary portrayal of business as motivated only by the pursuit of profit at the expense of public welfare.”

What they’re doing, says the Chamber, will “erode public trust” and be a “powerful disincentive” to investors.

The official opposition Wildrose say the government knew about the potential for companies to get out of contracts after hikes to the carbon levies.

Derek Fildebrandt, Wildrose’s point man on finances, says the NDP government is “sloganeering” and “bouncing off the rails” while a futile lawsuit will only add to the increasing costs.

“The NDP has gone on a radical carbon crusade,” says Fildebrandt.

“They’re too ideological to admit they made a mistake so they’re doubling down on dumb and are launching a lawsuit with virtually no chance of success.”

rbell@postmedia.com

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