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On Thursday she replied: “Under no circumstances would I now or would I ever do such a thing, and it is really quite ridiculous to suggest it.”

“That’s not what I’m doing. I’m not linking it in any way.

“All I’m acknowledging is that it’s going to be helpful … to be able to talk to people about genuine efforts you are making to be environmentally responsible.”

Canadians elsewhere recognize that the energy sector creates jobs, she said, “but those same people need to feel that the best work that can be done is being done, to ensure that the industry is acting environmentally responsibly.

“That’s not linking any specific demand of Quebec to ours. It’s simply acknowledging that the two can work together.”

Told of her response on the veto issue, Wall said, “If she said she’s not, I think that’s positive.

“I’m guessing there’s been some second thought on the part of the premier perhaps, and she’s made the right decision.”

After Notley suggested on television Thursday that he was showboating, Wall replied: “If standing up for the industry that’s so important to our province is showboating in any way, show me to the bridge.”

Notley’s rebuttal to all that isn’t recorded, and maybe that’s best. It might be unprintable.

The debate has escalated wildly since I raised the veto issue two days ago. That may have a lot to do with upcoming elections and partisan rivalries between Notley’s NDP, the federal Conservatives, and Wall’s right-tilting Saskatchewan Party.