Prime Minister Stephen Harper is said to have decided there will be no second five-year term for Governor General Michaelle Jean.

So, one way or another, Canadians might look to Alberta for hints of what could happen next as the prime minister gets down to picking her replacement.

Now, public opinion polls indicate Jean is generally popular among Canadians, so on the face of it, asking her to serve a second term makes sense.

Who says the Prime Minister Stephen Harper won't make Raj Pannu Lieutenant Governor of Alberta? He is the best choice, after all.

OK, it seems unlikely when there are so many undeserving old Alberta Tory retainers hanging around with their paws sticking out. But if you think Stephen Harper doesn't have what it takes to name the former Alberta NDP leader the Queen's representative in Alberta, maybe you should consider Canada's new ambassador to Washington.

Sometimes a prime minister, even a Conservative one, just needs to send a political message –- either to wave a political carrot or shake a political stick in the general direction of whoever ought to be paying more attention.