Stephen Harper took an online lashing from Albertans after making a dig at the province’s NDP government this week.

During a campaign stop in Laval, Que., the Conservative leader addressed an audience in French and criticized the Alberta government’s decision to delay the release of its provincial budget until October.

“We have an experiment like this going on in Alberta right now,” Harper said.

“The Alberta government, the new NDP government, in their first action they are incapable of presenting a budget. They raised taxes … the result is a disaster. It’s a disaster and (it’s) rejected by the population.”

Harper did not acknowledge his own government’s decision to delay tabling itsfederal budget earlier this year. Joe Oliver had cited the need for more time to assess the impact of plunging oil prices amid “market instability.”

Twitter users took advantage of the discrepancy between the Conservative leader’s remarks and its own government actions, by having some fun with the hashtag#HarperBlamesAlbertans:

Best of #HarperBlamesAlbertans

@mrsdrjim

Mary Linville

When Harper delays a budget it is fiscal prudence, when Notley delays a budget it is “a disaster”. All righty then. #HarperBlamesAlbertans

@mrsdrjim

Mary Linville

@EverettColdwell

Everett Coldwell

Let me get this straight.#HarperBlamesAlbertans for throwing out a government that overspent, lacked vision, and took orders from business.

@Marty_Chan

Marty Chan

Between spats with Premiers Wynne & Notley, Harper looks like the drunk at bar trying to pick fight with door. #HarperBlamesAlbertans

@MelissaJHills

Melissa Hills

Whoa Steve, you do NOT want to take on Notley. You should see what happened to the last guy#HarperBlamesAlbertans #elxn42#ableg #cdnpoli

@peggy_blair

Peggy Blair

You Albertans stupidly chose to vote for a disaster but I won’t offend you directly, I’ll say it in French. Wow.#HarperBlamesAlbertans

@DrJayDrNo

Jay Gamble

Wait, wait, wait. Did Harper just go#FullPrentice?#HarperBlamesAlbertans. Maybe he should hire Navigator for guidance.#elxn42 #cdnpoli

@Snailphanie

Stephanie Ferguson

Go ahead and tell Alberta voters they screwed up Harper, it worked for Prentice – oh, wait…#HarperBlamesAlbertans #elxn42

@ShyChemist

Tynan Phillips

I knew this would be a long #elxn42, I didn’t expect it to be so pathetic: Harper lies/misleads in his speech then #HarperBlamesAlbertans

@BrandonTozzo

Brandon Tozzo

I’m not sure of the wisdom of insulting the voters that are your base of support. Didn’t work well for Kim Campbell.#HarperBlamesAlbertans

@BlairCalgary

B D Hone

You remember what happened the last time a leader called an early elxn & blamed Albertans right?#HarperBlamesAlbertans

The hashtag is a rip off of #PrenticeBlamesAlbertans, after the ex-Progressive Conservative premier told voters during the provincial election campaign that they need to “only look in the mirror” to see who’s to blame for billions in lost oil revenue.

Prentice would go on to lose the election — by a landslide — to the NDP’s Rachel Notley.

On Tuesday, Notley hit back at Harper and issued a statement, asserting her government has taken action to buck a “fiscal shortfall” inherited from “years of Conservative mismanagement” and the oil price drop.

“Protecting the jobs and incomes of regular working families rather than that of wealthy Conservative friends and insiders is the best way to put our province on the path to the economic recovery,” she said.

With files from the Canadian Press

Original Story