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One of the strangest mysteries in Alberta political history — the case of the missing opposition — finally ended at 5 p.m. Wednesday.

Forty-five MLAs voted on the third and final reading of Bill 9, which expands no-harassment zones around abortion clinics.

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Only one MLA voted against it — Independent MLA Derek Fildebrandt, who had been ejected from the United Conservative caucus earlier this year.

Absent were all 25 UCP members, including Leader Jason Kenney.

During debate they had been utterly silent, feigning disinterest.

They left the chamber whenever a vote was called. Just quietly filed out.

Veteran parliamentarians say this is an unprecedented shunning of the opposition’s duty to criticize, analyze and offer improvements to government bills.

It dramatically illustrates Kenney’s political strategy — an intense focus on the economy, based on the conviction that Albertans care far more about that than divisive social issues.