Category Archives: Politics and Government

The K-Bro Linen Flap

Posted on August 21, 2016 by susanonthesoapbox

Would someone snap a wet towel at the Opposition please? The Opposition is upset because Sarah Hoffman, the Health Minister, wants to see a business case on alternatives before she agrees to outsource the province’s healthcare laundry services to K-Bro … Continue reading →

Posted in Alberta Health Care, Politics and Government, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 27 Comments

PPAs and the Master Narrative in Alberta

Posted on August 14, 2016 by susanonthesoapbox

The American Press Institute (API) describes pack journalism,” now known as “the master narrative,” as a story line the press corps en masse is telling or repeating. The API warns that master narratives can become a “trap or rut” and … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy & Natural Resources, Environment, Politics and Government, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 38 Comments

The NDP’s Power Play: Myths and Facts

Posted on August 7, 2016 by susanonthesoapbox

Alberta’s NDP government wants to save Albertans $2 billion and the Wildrose, the Progressive Conservatives and the media are churning up a dust storm of misinformation trying to stop them. Let’s take it from the top, shall we? Klein deregulates … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy & Natural Resources, Environment, Law, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , , | 63 Comments

Jason Kenney: Alberta’s Very Own Music Man

Posted on July 10, 2016 by susanonthesoapbox

Like the Music Man, Jason Kenney blew into town with a message:  We’ve got trouble folks!  Trouble with a capital “T” that rhymes with “P” and that stands for “Progressive!” The Music Man says we don’t need no “accidental government” … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics and Government, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 36 Comments

Brexit and Trump: It’s All Your Fault

Posted on July 3, 2016 by susanonthesoapbox

Ms Soapbox was just getting her head around the fact that Donald Trump was her fault when they blamed her for Brexit. Wait, what? Political philosophers and journalists on both sides of the Atlantic point out that not everyone who … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Economy, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , | 35 Comments

Four Things We Learned From Brexit

Posted on June 26, 2016 by susanonthesoapbox

What was he thinking?  The UK, with or without Scotland and Northern Ireland, is leaving the EU, but first it has to slog through two harrowing years extricating itself from its most important market (44% of all of the UK’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Politics and Government, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 63 Comments

Responding to Orlando

Posted on June 19, 2016 by susanonthesoapbox

Can we talk about that which cannot be named? On June 12 forty-nine people were massacred at a nightclub in Orlando. Alberta’s political leaders expressed their horror at the senseless slaughter. All but one of the politicians recognized that the … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

Rachel Notley and the Wonder Women

Posted on June 12, 2016 by susanonthesoapbox

Anyone who thinks women are too emotional and unpredictable for a life in politics hasn’t met Rachel Notley and the Wonder Women. Ms Soapbox had the pleasure of meeting some of the Wonder Women this weekend at the NDP Convention. … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics and Government, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 23 Comments

The Wildrose and PCs Weigh In On Medically Assisted Dying

Posted on June 5, 2016 by susanonthesoapbox

We’ve seen a lot of fireworks in the Alberta Legislature but nothing can match the rhetoric and misinformation that characterized the response of the Wildrose (and to a lesser extent the Progressive Conservatives) to the government’s motion to regulate medical … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Justice, General Health Care, Law, Politics and Government, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 31 Comments

The Wildrose Vision (such as it is)

Posted on May 22, 2016 by susanonthesoapbox

Brian Jean, leader of the Wildrose party, has a vision for uniting Alberta’s conservatives. It’s based on “the best elements” of Peter Lougheed and Ralph Klein’s legacies and rejects the “liberal drift” and “questionable ethics” that forced Wildrose members out … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics and Government | Tagged , , , , , , | 10 Comments