EDMONTON - Premier Jim Prentice is reaping a whirlwind of anger after telling Albertans they need to "look in the mirror" if they want to know who is responsible for the current fiscal mess.
The hashtag #PrenticeBlamesAlbertans has become one of the most popular on Twitter and features a torrent of sarcasm, memes and outrage.
Albertans can even buy a t-shirt:
In many tweets, Albertans sarcastically blame themselves for everything from the demise of the dinosaurs to the blown play call that cost the Seattle Seahawks the Super Bowl.
Others say Prentice is right on, given that Albertans have voted to keep the Progressive Conservative party in power for more than 40 years.
Prentice has promised to remake the budget radically this month, since low oil prices have drained billions of the dollars from the treasury.
He says there will be "pain" for everyone, but says corporate taxes and oil royalties will be off limits.