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Rachel Notley needs to get out of bed early one morning, lock herself in the bathroom, look in the mirror, and repeat, “I am premier of Alberta,” as many times as necessary until she actually believes it.

Because at the moment, she’s still stuck with the mindset of being the NDP head honcho, rather than the person ultimately standing on guard for all Albertans. And, if she can persuade herself she bears that mantle, then her first act as leader should be to boot that $10-billion-embarrassment of a provincial treasurer and give him a cabinet post more befitting his talents — Minister Responsible for the Status of Big Horn Sheep, perhaps.

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Maybe then, with the taste of blood finally in her mouth, she might understand that when thousands of people are losing their jobs each month, it is time for the leader of Alberta to stop being a tame sideshow act for the rest of Canada’s smug amusement.

We’ve had slick willy Quebec mayors dumping on Alberta’s pipeline hopes, we’ve had neighbouring B.C. lecturing this province on fiscal prudence, and we’ve had the Justin Trudeau selfie show pass through town, with plenty of platitudes but little in the way of helpful substance.