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Keith Gerein: Smith's riffs to Alberta municipal leaders go off the rails

The real head-scratcher when the premier mused to the civic leaders that the Municipal Government Act is "kind of like our constitution with each other.”

Last week’s Alberta Municipalities conference in Edmonton had its share of strange and intriguing moments, at least a few of which came from the hour that Premier Danielle Smith was in the room.

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Smith’s speech to the ballroom of municipal leaders was generally fine. There were a few rounds of applause on the economy and gas tax relief, though she also seemed more uncomfortable at the podium than she usually does.

But the moments that really had the crowd murmuring occurred in the followup Q and A session when Smith engaged in some long, meandering, off-the-cuff responses. Such riffs can be an effective part of the premier’s arsenal at times, but these particular ones did not inspire confidence that she knew what she was talking about.

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