Category Archives: Alberta Health Care

Bill 24 – The Democratic Process is Swiss Cheese

Posted on December 4, 2011 by susanonthesoapbox

Alberta’s Privacy Commissioner nailed it when he said that the government’s propensity to override the public’s right to information under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIP) was turning FOIP into “Swiss cheese”.* This is deeply distressing … Continue reading →

Posted in Alberta Health Care, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Bill 24 — A Public Inquiry?

Posted on November 27, 2011 by susanonthesoapbox

Question:  when is a public inquiry not a public inquiry?  Answer:  when the controversial testimony must be given behind closed doors.  Welcome to Bill 24—the Health Quality Council of Alberta Act. We all remember Premier Redford’s breakout moment in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Alberta Health Care, Politics and Government | Tagged | 7 Comments

Square Peg/Round Hole — Redford’s Proposal to Beef Up the Health Quality Council Review

Posted on November 20, 2011 by susanonthesoapbox

UPDATE — Premier Redford promised changes to the HQC which would allow it to conduct a public inquiry.  She delivered Bill 24 which allows the  HQC  to take the “public inquiry” behind closed doors under a number of circumstances.  So … Continue reading →

Posted in Alberta Health Care, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments

The Game of Clue

Posted on November 6, 2011 by susanonthesoapbox

I love a good mystery, everything from the bucolic Midsomer Murders BBC series to a “whodunnit” board game like Clue.  I wrestle my daughter for the privilege of being Miss Scarlett and pout if I can’t have the miniature candlestick … Continue reading →

Posted in Alberta Health Care, Politics and Government | Tagged , , | 17 Comments

A Leap of Faith

Posted on October 2, 2011 by susanonthesoapbox

The “old boys” just got their pants pulled down–by a cracker jack plain speaking female politician. How did she do it?  By embarking on a risky political strategy–speaking the truth about the tired old self serving PC political process and … Continue reading →

Posted in Alberta Health Care, Politics and Government | Tagged , , | 11 Comments

A Distant View

Posted on September 29, 2011 by susanonthesoapbox

Gold mining and politics have one thing in common.  Sometimes it’s best to take a distant view of the field and look for patterns that might indicate a rich vein.  We’re down to the final days of the PC leadership … Continue reading →

Posted in Alberta Health Care, Politics | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Frankenstein’s Monster…Or Why Privatization of Healthcare is a Bad Idea

Posted on September 18, 2011 by susanonthesoapbox

In the late 1800s, the US government tinkered with a relatively benign creature and created a monster.  Like Dr Frankenstein, the US government acted with the best of intentions.  It wanted to allow corporations to raise capital to finance the … Continue reading →

Posted in Alberta Health Care, Politics, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

The Wizard of Zwoz and his Lawyer

Posted on September 4, 2011 by susanonthesoapbox

It’s not easy being a lawyer.  You grind through 3 years of law school, 1 year of articles and then if you’re kept on at the law firm, you dive into the shark tank vying for the “good” files (work … Continue reading →

Posted in Alberta Health Care, Politics and Government | Tagged | 2 Comments

The Big Blue Button

Posted on August 28, 2011 by susanonthesoapbox

Bear with me…I’m about to make a case for civil disobedience with respect to the (non)delivery of healthcare.          We’ve all experienced the feeling of helplessness and controlled panic when our mothers, fathers, partners, children and friends are … Continue reading →

Posted in Alberta Health Care, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Zwoz The Wizard of Oz – The Sequel

Posted on August 14, 2011 by susanonthesoapbox

If men are from Mars and women are from Venus then the Health Minister must be from Nix, one of the 4 moons orbiting the non-planet known as Pluto.  The Mars/Venus paradigm is supposed to help the sexes understand each … Continue reading →

Posted in Alberta Health Care, Politics and Government | Tagged | 4 Comments