The "Bernard the Roughneck" campaign rolled out against the Trudeau government in Ottawa a week ago has been in preparation for at least seven months, possibly longer.

However, while each of the Canadian Association of Oilwell Drilling Contractors, the Conservative Party of Canada, and Rebel Media appear to have been directly involved in aspects of the effort, and both Alberta's Wildrose Party and the frontrunner for the leadership of the Progressive Conservative Party have played supporting roles, it cannot be determined who started the ball rolling or the degree of co-operation among the participants in this piece of political performance art.

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I don't know if Alberta's NDP leaders are worried by Dan MacLennan becoming the provincial Liberal Party’s vice-president in change of constituencies, but if you ask me they should be.

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The Wildrose Party's troublingly vicious personal attack on Kevin Davediuk earlier this month illustrates the degree to which rigid anti-union ideology now dominates Alberta's largest Opposition party.

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Presumably it will be a Happy Canada Day today for Alberta Premier Rachel Notley with the news now out there the province has a billion dollars more in its kitty than we'd been led to believe in the final days of Progressive Conservative dynasty.