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According to a new public opinion poll, people really like Premier Rachel Notley.

Unless those people happen to be Albertans.

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In that case, Notley is one of the most unpopular premiers in the country.

Those are the seemingly contradictory findings of a Mainstreet/Postmedia poll released a few days ago.

Among Canadians as a whole, Notley has a 44-per-cent approval rating, making her the second most popular premier in the country behind Quebec’s Phillipe Couillard, who has 46 per cent.

However, only 34 per cent of Albertans approve of her performance, which puts her in seventh place among premiers when judged by their own populations.

The numbers really shouldn’t be surprising. People outside Alberta still look on Notley with the kind of enthusiasm she enjoyed inside the province — before the recession hit and before she promised to introduce a controversial carbon tax.

Notley’s national popularity could prove to be a real benefit in her fight to get support from Ottawa and other provinces for more energy pipelines.