Notwithstanding [Ed Stelmach]'s practical argument, everyone from the blue suits in the boardrooms to the roughnecks on the derricks has reacted with predictable hyperbole. Depending on who you talk to, the royalty hike will devastate Alberta's economy, drive away capital and put thousands of Albertans out of work. However, Stelmach is planting a flag here by making the point that even in tax-averse Alberta, there are higher causes than cutting taxes.

Most politicians in Manitoba have, at one time or another, suggested that hydroelectricity production could do for Manitoba what oil and gas have done for Alberta. Even though we do have the lowest electricity prices in Canada, Manitoba Hydro has not generated the wealth that would give Manitoba "have" status.