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Quebec’s effort to kiss-and-make-up, now that it got what it wanted, is unlikely to avoid the consequences in Alberta of its Energy East handling.

One of the first big steps to hold Quebec accountable is coming Saturday, when the new United Conservative Party (UPC) is electing a new leader, increasing the odds it will replace Rachel Notley’s NDP government in two years by uniting Alberta’s conservative voters.

Unlike Notley, whose government expressed disappointment with the collapse of Energy East but did not talk about retribution, UCP leadership frontrunners Jason Kenney and Brian Jean have made it their mission to re-negotiate transfer payments so Ottawa no longer disproportionately takes from Alberta and gives to Quebec.

Both have called for a referendum to force the federal government to renegotiate the formula, which they say punishes Alberta for being rich in non-renewable resources.

Photo by THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

There is support in Alberta for such a move amid a resurgence of Western alienation, or a frustration that its priorities (such as the health of its oil and gas sector) are marginalized and undermined by the ‘centre,’ while those of other provinces (such as Quebec’s Bombardier and Ontario’s auto industry) are prioritized and supported.

There is plenty of evidence that Quebecers, collectively, did everything they could to stand in the way of Energy East.

Mayor Coderre’s victory declaration came after he led a campaign by the Montreal Metropolitan Community, a regional organization of municipal politicians representing more than 80 area cities and towns, to oppose the project on the ground its risks far outweighed its benefits. Meanwhile, it’s not been lost on Albertans that Quebec imports foreign oil to meet its needs, as if that doesn’t come with risks.