Category Archives: Politics and Government

Bill 20: Another Bill No One Asked For

Posted on October 20, 2024 by susanonthesoapbox

”[These changes] are good for municipalities, good for voters, good for Albertans.” – Ric McIver, minister of Municipal Affairs with respect to Bill 20. How do they do it? How can a politician say Bill 20 will strengthen democracy when … Continue reading →

Posted in Danielle Smith, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , , | 77 Comments

Alberta’s Healthcare System is on Life Support

Posted on September 29, 2024 by susanonthesoapbox

Mr. Soapbox’s timing couldn’t have been worse. A couple of days before my husband experienced chest pains that landed him in the cardio unit at Foothills Hospital, Dr Paul Parks, an emergency physician and past president of the Alberta Medical … Continue reading →

Posted in Alberta Health Care, Danielle Smith, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , , | 63 Comments

Premier Smith Closes the Door on Asylum Claimants

Posted on September 15, 2024 by susanonthesoapbox

On Sept 12, the day after The Trump/Harris debate, Premier Smith told the federal government that Alberta has closed its doors to any more asylum seekers.   Here’s what she said:     “Alberta’s government is opposed to the federal government’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Danielle Smith, Education, Employment, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , , , , | 52 Comments

Happy Labour Day

Posted on September 2, 2024 by susanonthesoapbox

Yesterday Premier Danielle Smith issued a statement celebrating Alberta Day—a non-stat holiday created by her predecessor Jason Kenney to commemorate the day Alberta became a province—without once mentioning Confederation. Today the UCP government went one better. It issued a Happy … Continue reading →

Posted in Celebrations, Danielle Smith, Economy, Employment, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , , | 47 Comments

Happy Alberta Day

Posted on September 1, 2024 by susanonthesoapbox

I just finished reading Premier Smith’s statement celebrating Alberta Day and wondered how I would explain it to someone who knows nothing about Alberta’s history.   I suspect the conversation would go something like this:    Me: Oh look, Premier … Continue reading →

Posted in Alberta Health Care, Celebrations, Danielle Smith, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , | 55 Comments

Nenshi Visits Calgary-Elbow

Posted on August 25, 2024 by susanonthesoapbox

Naheed Nenshi has been busy visiting NDP constituencies across the province. This afternoon he came to the Calgary-Elbow Constituency BBQ. After a (very) enthusiastic introduction from NDP MLA Samir Kayande, Nenshi made a short speech which reinforced his commitment to … Continue reading →

Posted in Alberta Health Care, Climate Change, Danielle Smith, Education, Energy & Natural Resources, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , , , | 58 Comments

May I Make a Suggestion?

Posted on August 3, 2024 by susanonthesoapbox

Where’s our news? I ask because I’ve noticed that the UCP is adept at flooding the media with good news stories about what they’re going to do to help Albertans but not so good at following up when they’ve failed … Continue reading →

Posted in Alberta Health Care, Danielle Smith, Education, Energy, Energy & Natural Resources, Politics and Government | Tagged , | 93 Comments

Nenshi Wins the NDP Leadership Race

Posted on June 23, 2024 by susanonthesoapbox

“The purple is an invitation to say: set aside who you are and let’s define ourselves by our common humanity. And I thought to myself: I’ve got no political home. But then I talked to so many of you … … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics and Government | Tagged , | 38 Comments

The UCP Goes Over The Top: Bill C-59

Posted on June 9, 2024 by susanonthesoapbox

It was bound to happen sooner or later. The UCP government’s over the top reactions to anything the federal government does finally pushed it into the looney zone. On May 29, Rebecca Schutz, the Environment Minister, issued a press release … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate Change, Energy & Natural Resources, Environment, Law, Politics and Government | Tagged , , | 43 Comments

Rachel Notley’s Last Day in the Chair

Posted on June 2, 2024 by susanonthesoapbox

After an illustrious career in the NDP movement, including 16 years in government, 4 of which were as premier, Rachel Notley is stepping down as party leader. She made her last appearance as the leader of the Opposition in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics and Government | Tagged , | 27 Comments