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“How do you go into an election where you’re going to spend the first two weeks on the defensive trying to convince Albertans that this was a good budget when they don’t seem like they want to be convinced?”

The big question is whether it’s too late for Prentice to turn back, said the Mount Royal professor.

“It’s the old ski jump. Sometimes you have gone so far down that you can no longer turn back,” he said. “Has he gone so far in terms of preparation and organization and media buys that he just has to go into an election?”

Prentice told the Herald’s editorial board Tuesday he is prepared to face the public on the budget.

“I trust the judgment of Albertans. Albertans are smart. They know the circumstances we are in,” he said.

Prentice said Alberta is at a turning point and he is determined to address the province’s addiction to oil revenues now.

“I hear across the province people have had enough of the oil roller-coaster. I hear that everywhere I go,” he said. “We have put forward a very clear plan of how to deal with it. Implicit within it are real tough choices for everybody. But it’s the best way forward … I think people should have a say in that.”

The premier said he has not picked a date for the vote.

“I don’t think it’s very far away,” he added.

The Insights West poll suggests the economy and jobs (46 per cent) are the most important issues facing Albertans, followed by health care (20 per cent) and accountability (17 per cent).

“I don’t think I have ever seen a number this high for Alberta in my life,” said Canseco, referring to those concerned about the fiscal crisis. “Clearly the situation we’re facing is worrying a lot of people.”