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EDMONTON — A legislature meeting on budget numbers got personal Thursday, when Premier Jason Kenney accused NDP Leader Rachel Notley of being ignorant to Alberta’s plight and Notley questioned his loyalty to Canada.

The angry cross-talk erupted when Notley asked Kenney why he is threatening to hold a referendum on equalization, even though Alberta has no direct power to change the constitutionally protected federal funding program.

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Kenney has said he will hold a referendum on equalization payments if there is not progress on initiatives, such as pipelines, to get more of Alberta’s oil and gas to market.

Notley suggested a referendum would be a potentially divisive, grandstanding power play, which would echo Quebec’s votes on separation.

I resent the leader of the Opposition casting aspersions on my loyalty

“You claim that you’re a federalist, but do you honestly think it is responsible to ask Albertans to cast their ballot and to get worked up over an equalization provision … when you know that the likelihood of being able to amend that Constitution is about zero?” Notley asked Kenney.