Author Archives: susanonthesoapbox

“Phasing Out” the Oilsands

Posted on January 15, 2017 by susanonthesoapbox

At a recent town hall meeting Mr Trudeau reiterated his position on climate change.  He said: “You can’t make a choice between what’s good for the environment and what’s good for the economy.  We can’t shut down the oilsands tomorrow.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy & Natural Resources, Environment, Politics and Government, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 17 Comments

Marie Henein’s Take on Kellie Leitch

Posted on January 8, 2017 by susanonthesoapbox

Last Friday Ms Soapbox attended the 2017 Milvain Lecture at the U of C Law School. It was given by Marie Henein who recently made headlines by successfully defending CBC radio host Jian Ghomeshi on sexual assault charges. While Ms … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Justice, Lectures, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , | 15 Comments

The 2017 List

Posted on January 1, 2017 by susanonthesoapbox

Last year Ms Soapbox made a list of New Year’s resolutions for Rachel Notley. Happily, Ms Notley delivered on the list, with the exception of resolution #4 (Ms Soapbox failed to anticipate the arrival of Jason Kenney on the political … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , , , | 34 Comments

A Double Dose of Christmas

Posted on December 25, 2016 by susanonthesoapbox

This Christmas was unusual…even for the Soapbox family. Missy* our eldest daughter is a nurse working in Victoria.  She was scheduled to work over Christmas which meant that for the first time ever the Soapbox family was not going to … Continue reading →

Posted in Celebrations, Vacation | Tagged , , | 28 Comments

Lessons From Rex Tillerson*

Posted on December 18, 2016 by susanonthesoapbox

If Rex Tillerson, the former head of ExxonMobil and Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of State, taught a class on pipeline strategy Brian Jean would be stuck at the front of the room wearing a dunce cap and Rachel Notley … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy & Natural Resources, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , , | 26 Comments

Viola Desmond: The Perfect Choice

Posted on December 11, 2016 by susanonthesoapbox

Viola Desmond is the first Canadian woman to be featured on our bank notes. We know the outline of her story—Ms Desmond was arrested, jailed and convicted for refusing to leave the whites-only section of a movie theatre.  Her story … Continue reading →

Posted in Law | Tagged , , | 16 Comments

Two Pipelines Approved: The Opposition Reacts (badly)

Posted on December 4, 2016 by susanonthesoapbox

Do you have a headache? Are you an Alberta conservative wondering how to react to Trudeau approving the Trans Mountain and Line 3 pipelines and, horrors, singling out Notley’s Climate Leadership Plan as being vital to getting to yes? If … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy & Natural Resources, Politics and Government, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

It’s Electricity Week…and the Opposition Won’t Stand for it

Posted on November 27, 2016 by susanonthesoapbox

After the events of this week it’s unclear who the Opposition is standing for. The NDP government announced it was: settling the PPA dispute over the enforceability of the “Enron clause” with Capital Power, TransCanada and AltaGas, leaving Enmax the … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , , , , | 20 Comments

Running on Half a Platform

Posted on November 20, 2016 by susanonthesoapbox

Can we stop campaigning on half a platform?     Brian Jean and Jason Kenney are united in one thing—the conviction that they must free Alberta from the “socialists” and return it to its position of unparalleled greatness where it will … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics and Government | Tagged , , , | 24 Comments

Who Let the Monsters Out?

Posted on November 13, 2016 by susanonthesoapbox

To paraphrase Mayor Nenshi, we must never forget how easy it is for a narcissist with a microphone to open the closet door and let the monsters out. Donald Trump, a woefully inexperienced blowhard, defeated Hillary Clinton by legitimizing attacks … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics and Government | Tagged , , , , , , | 28 Comments