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Alberta is crawling with government-appointed advisory panels. Be careful stepping into bike lanes. You could get run over by Tzeporah Berman.

The NDP has created 11 committees, review panels and task forces since winning office in May 2015. That works out to about one new group every six weeks. Oil prices should increase at such a pace.

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The panels have been shaping policy for climate change, royalties, mental health, coal phase-out, coal communities, energy efficiency, oilsands, climate technology, energy diversification, workers’ compensation, and farms and ranches.

It’s an incredibly ambitious agenda, for which a new government needs a lot of help. “We don’t pretend to know everything,” says one of Premier Rachel Notley’s senior officials.

A trace of genuine modesty from government? Please revive me.

In the later PC years, these panels were often used to stall tricky issues, while ensuring that friends felt important. Members were often deeply annoyed, after pitching in with enthusiasm, to find they were being used as cover.