Listen, I take a back seat to nobody in applauding the idea of a provincial cabinet minister of red tape reduction. But the man in Alberta who wears that title, the Hon. Dale Nally, has accidentally reminded us where red tape comes from: it’s a tumescent outgrowth of the rule of law, which is otherwise a very desirable thing.

Last week, Postmedia’s Lauren Boothby tweeted a photo from an Edmonton liquor store depicting four-litre clear plastic jugs of “Value Vodka” on sale for $49.95. Boothby made no comment on the image apart from two words that sufficed to make the tweet go viral: “Alberta rules.”