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One rural New Democrat, active at the heart of the party for decades, says the government’s headlong policy changes have caused big problems.

“The carbon tax issue — they moved too quickly on this,” says this veteran who, like all the others, won’t be named at this point.

“We could have done a lot more consultation.

“We did a great job with the major oil companies, getting them to support the tax,” he adds. “We should be engaging those people (the industry types) to sell the message to the average Albertans.”

Notley always says her measures, from the climate change policy to the tax, were part of the NDP platform and therefore have the public’s full support.

That’s simply not true. First, the carbon tax wasn’t mentioned during the campaign. Second, the whole environment policy comprises only 220 words of the NDP’s election platform. The word “climate” appears only once.

This is immensely complex policy that needed a full public airing long before it became law. Even New Democrats who fully support the policies now see the sense in that.

“A lot of the stuff done in the first year should have been done in the second year,” the veteran says. “They would have had more time to explain and sell the policies.”

The PCs in their waning days made exactly the same mistakes. First Nations once blasted them for failing to consult on a bill guaranteeing consultation. The New Democrats were always the first to jump on such absurdities.

Then their own opacity over Bill 6, the farm safety legislation, provoked monumental demonstrations and anger.