She’s going to huff and puff and blow their house down.

She’s going to watch them very carefully and, if the Trudeau types don’t do what they say they’ll do, then well, they’re going to get it.

Distroscale

She’ll hold their feet to the fire. Just you wait and see.

Right.

Have to say it was kinda sad watching Premier Notley on Friday.

Notley who once high-fived in jubilation over a pipeline mission accomplished.

Notley who told us she was angry at the end of last month when the court quashed the approval of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion.

Yes, remember when the premier said the time for niceties was over and she demanded Trudeau do two things to get this pipeline project going.

It doesn’t matter now what the two things were since Trudeau didn’t do them.

Instead, we get a Team Trudeau announcement Friday from the other side of the country in Halifax at seven in the morning, Alberta time.

Over the next 22 weeks the big brains of the National Energy Board will look at the effects of increased tanker traffic from the pipeline expansion.

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They will give a look-see to the effects on the southern resident killer whale.

As for sitting down with Indigenous people, Trudeau’s people will tell us more very soon.

Does anyone really have a clue when Trans Mountain will get a new thumbs-up and construction will start?

No.

So there was Notley. She’s been such a faithful ally of Trudeau and her supporters surely must believe the premier deserved better.

On Friday, she is left to say her job is to make sure the 22-week timeline is set in stone.

“If it starts to slip and the goalposts shift, I can assure you the voice of Albertans will be loud. Individually they will be loud. I have no doubt of that,” says Notley.

The voices are loud already.

She says her government will be loud as well and will “engage very ferociously” if Team Trudeau wavers.

Alas, even Notley is “a little bit skeptical” about the plan going forward but adds she won’t tolerate “legal game-playing.”

She does sabre-rattle, saying without a pipeline approval Alberta won’t hike the carbon tax in the year 2021, the way Trudeau wants.

Oooh. Take that, Justin!

It’s like swinging a toy sword with a plastic blade.

At the beginning of this column I took a line from the Three Little Pigs. At this point I can’t help thinking of the Boy Who Cried Wolf.

We heard all about the B.C. wine ban but it was called off before the B.C. wine was even off Alberta liquor store shelves.

We heard about turning off the taps to B.C.

We heard about how the rocket scientists in the Trudeau government could somehow arm-twist B.C. Premier John Horgan to fly the white flag in the pipeline fight.

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We also heard Team Trudeau had everything all figured out and the pipeline would be built.

Now Canadian taxpayers are out $4.5 billion and own a pipeline expansion looking for a green light.

Yes, when you listen to Notley it’s a little like back to the future.

“For Albertans this has been and still is a long and hard road,” she says.

Why oh why are we in this pickle?

Notley says we have kept up our end in Confederation. We’re leaders on the environment.

Remember the not-so-good old days when paying a carbon tax was supposed to get Alberta a pipeline?

“We contribute mightily to the national economy,” intones the premier.

“We have come too far to turn back. Our fight to build this pipeline has only just begun.”

Only just begun?

For Notley, she’ll keep the pressure on, failure is not an option, she’ll push to grow support for the pipeline across the country.

As for that date when she wants to see shovels in the ground, Notley isn’t going there and says such a question is “premature.”

“For me to walk in and say it must be done by this day doesn’t really help the debate going forward.”

The premier does add we’ve at least got a clearer picture than we had the day before.

Scant consolation.

Alas, the saga drags on like a water torture. Drip, drip, drip …

Leela Aheer of the United Conservatives is left to sum up the sad tale.

“Once again, Albertans are seeing how Premier Notley’s failed alliance with Justin Trudeau is playing out in practice.”