Category Archives: Economics

A “Marathon Session”

Posted on August 2, 2020 by

The Alberta Legislature is adjourned for a month. For this we are truly grateful because no matter how Jason Kenney tries to dress up his performance—he says he’s well on his way to delivering on almost 70% of his campaign … Continue reading →

Posted in Alberta Health Care, Climate Change, Economics, Energy & Natural Resources, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , , , , | 43 Comments

Kenney’s Recovery Plan: A Failure to Launch

Posted on July 5, 2020 by

Pfffft! That’s the sound of Jason Kenney’s recovery plan as it sputters and lands like a limp balloon in the corner of the room. Mr Kenney promised Albertans a “bold and ambitious plan,” a “game-changer” that will send a clear … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Economy, Education, Energy & Natural Resources, General Health Care, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , , , | 38 Comments

The Magical Ms M and the Blue Ribbon Panel on Finances

Posted on September 8, 2019 by

When Jason Kenney asked former finance minister Janice MacKinnon “to conduct a deep dive into Alberta’s fiscal situation” he told her to deliver recommendations to balance the budget by 2023 and develop a plan to retire the province’s debt without … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Education, Employment, General Health Care, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , , | 50 Comments

What Do They Want?

Posted on August 4, 2019 by

When Ms Soapbox read the “open letter” to Canadians published by three oil executives she was reminded of Sigmund Freud.  Freud spent 30 years asking himself: what do women want?    After 70 years of riding the boom/bust roller coaster … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate Change, Economics, Energy & Natural Resources, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Calgary Flames Arena–Have We Got A Deal For You!!!

Posted on July 28, 2019 by

To paraphrase Jane Jacobs, the majority of Calgary City Council regard Calgarians as “empty-headed young ladies whose main duties were to see that their nails were clean, their curves properly distributed and their behavior seemly.” These councillors refuse to allow … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Economics, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , , , , | 39 Comments

Don’t Look Away

Posted on April 11, 2019 by

We’re on the cusp of the election and many moderate conservatives still don’t know who they’ll support.  Will they ignore the allegations of vote tampering in the UCP leadership race and the slate of unfit candidates stacking up “25 deep” … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Education, Energy & Natural Resources, Environment, General Health Care, Politics and Government, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 36 Comments

Politics in the Age of Bewilderment

Posted on January 6, 2019 by

The historian and philosopher Yuval Noah Harari says we’re living in the Age of Bewilderment, the old stories have collapsed and the new stories have not yet been written. Ms Soapbox thinks some politicians are trying to bridge this gap … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Education, Energy & Natural Resources, General Health Care, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , , , | 28 Comments

Money or Mission? A Simple Test of Policy

Posted on August 5, 2018 by

In a discussion about politics in America, Michael Lewis, the author of The Big Short and Moneyball, said the rift isn’t between Republicans and Democrats, it’s between the people who are in it for the mission and the people who … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , | 22 Comments

How Truth Dies

Posted on September 3, 2017 by

The UCP leadership race just began and already we’re being asked to choose between two conflicting versions of the truth. Jason Kenney says Brian Jean is a poor financial manager because Jean created a $337,000 deficit in the UCP caucus … Continue reading →

Posted in Alberta Health Care, Economics, Energy & Natural Resources, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , , | 53 Comments

Sandra Jansen is right, there are Progressive Conservatives in Alberta

Posted on October 16, 2016 by

Sandra Jansen just confirmed she’s running for the leadership of Alberta’s Progressive Conservative party.  This is good news because her campaign will test Jason Kenney’s assertion that there’s no such thing as a progressive conservative. Kenney is peddling the line … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Energy & Natural Resources, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , , , | 9 Comments