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His on-air comments, Prentice says, were “in the context of a radio phone-in show, which I generally enjoy doing. I certainly didn’t intend to say anything different than I’ve said for the last few months, which is that we’re all in this together, we got into it together and we’ll get out of it together …

“I don’t think my message has been any different in that sense. But clearly the way I expressed it yesterday touched a nerve.”

During the phone-in, Prentice made comments such as: “There’s no easy solution. There’s no one we can pin the responsibility on, other than each of us personally …

“In terms of who is responsible, we all need only look in the mirror, right?

“Basically all of us have had the best of everything and have not had to pay for what it costs. Collectively we got into this as Albertans and collectively we’re going to get out of it and everybody is going to have to shoulder some share of the responsibility.”

The social media and political reaction was explosive.

Prentice seemed to cross from asking Albertans to help solve the problem to blaming them for causing it.

Many responders said the Progressive Conservative government, not the people, caused the whole mess. And Prentice, they noted with ironic humour, suddenly seemed to be blaming them for everything from global warming to that stupid final pass in the Super Bowl.

The thing that set many people off, perhaps, is that during the phone-in, Prentice didn’t fault the government. That gave Wildrose Leader Heather Forsyth an opening to blast the PCs for everything from deficits to the infamous sky palace. She demanded an apology from the premier.