In one of the most resounding upsets in Canadian political history Alberta's nascent Tea Party acolytes, styling themselves the "Wild Rose Party", have swept the ruling Conservative Party out of power.
Wild Rose has the cachet of a happening new thing, even though the back rooms are stuffed full of veteran Harperites, Reformers, and former Mike Harris advisors, all of whom are pretty much the same people anyway.
Nevertheless, this cosy old-boys club managed to hide behind the photogenic leader of their "new" party, Danielle Smith.
Smith has nothing much on offer other than the tried and true Tea Party agenda. Government bad. Taxes bad. Regulation bad. Unions bad.
That sells in Alberta, which has had a great ride on its petroleum resources for the better part of the last hundred years.
Virtually all Albertans fervently believe that they are responsible for the fact that Alberta has enormous dirty oil reserves, and that it is their God-given mission to exploit those reserves as quickly as possible.
Virtually all Albertans have been Albertans for no more than two generations, so their fervor has the exuberance exhibited by all new converts.
The Wild Rose victory will give them a chance to pursue their political beliefs to their logical conclusions.
Good luck, Alberta!
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