Right after Alberta Premier Danielle Smith rolls out her pipeline plans to the country Thursday night she heads off to the Cowboys Music Festival.

As the premier makes her way to Cowboys she sounds very happy. She is not claiming victory when the goal line is still down the field.

But she and her government have clearly moved the yardsticks and the premier believes Alberta is now moving forward in a big way.

Smith laughs. Who wouldn’t laugh on this night if you were in her position?

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They will be days where there won’t be laughs but this is not one of them.

She is scheduled to get on stage at Cowboys and we are told the premier will jazz up the crowd.

Smith has come a long way from meeting with former prime minister Justin Trudeau at Stampede time, a painful occasion to observe where you could cut the tension with a knife and the premier clung to optimism when Trudeau was taking aim at the oilpatch with his green guru Steven Guilbeault.

You can’t say this year’s Calgary Stampede didn’t start........

© Calgary Herald