Category Archives: Politics and Government

Alison Redford: The Puppet Premier?

Posted on March 18, 2014 by susanonthesoapbox

On March 17, 2014, following Premier Redford’s tearful introduction of her daughter Sarah to the Legislative Assembly, the ND Opposition leader Brian Mason rose to ask the Premier a critical question:* “I regret having to ask this question, but it … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics and Government | Tagged , , , , , | 31 Comments

TransAlta and the Court of Public Opinion: A $66 million fine or multimillions in profits?

Posted on March 16, 2014 by susanonthesoapbox

Last month TransAlta kicked a damaging allegation into the court of public opinion:  did it manipulate the electricity market by improperly shutting down six power plants during peak demand hours in order to jack up power prices and make millions … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy & Natural Resources, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , , , | 21 Comments

Alberta’s “Traffic Court Reform”: One Step Closer to a Police State

Posted on March 13, 2014 by susanonthesoapbox

Justice Minister Denis is touting “Traffic Court Reform” as a “citizen-friendly” dispute resolution process to “resolve” traffic tickets.  It’s also the first step into a quagmire that erases our civil liberties in order to save money (and help the minister … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Justice, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , | 17 Comments

Breakfast with Hillary Clinton

Posted on March 9, 2014 by susanonthesoapbox

Hillary Rodham Clinton was in Calgary last week to give the keynote address at a breakfast meeting of 2500 Calgarians who paid about $500 to hear her speak.  Luckily my friend, the Zen Banker, invited me to attend as her … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy & Natural Resources, Environment, Politics, Politics and Government, Rich and/or Famous, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 14 Comments

The Edelman Trust Barometer: Who do you trust?

Posted on March 2, 2014 by susanonthesoapbox

The 2014 Edelman Trust Barometer is here and it’s good news—unless you work in government or business in which case you’re facing what Edelman delicately calls “a significant trust deficit”. Edelman is a global public relations company that surveys trust … Continue reading →

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

Where are the Ethical Lawyers?

Posted on February 23, 2014 by susanonthesoapbox

In the last three months Albertans have witnessed a shocking display of raw power.  The Redford government calls it “delivering the responsible change Albertans voted for.”  The rest of us call it the abuse of majority power to crush the … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Justice, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , , , | 35 Comments

“What Makes Canada So Great?”

Posted on February 16, 2014 by susanonthesoapbox

Michaela Pereira, CNN television personality and news anchor (I use the term loosely)  asked a member of the Canadian Olympic skiing team this question:  “What makes Canada so great?” My immediate reaction was:  What a goofy question.  Luckily the Canadian … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics and Government, Rich and/or Famous | Tagged , , , , , | 37 Comments

CSEC Exonerated

Posted on February 14, 2014 by susanonthesoapbox

Mr Jean-Pierre Plouffe, CSEC watchdog, has determined that CSEC is off the hook,it did not direct any activity at Canadians or persons in Canada.  He’s hanging his hat on the distinction between “collecting metadata” and “tracking Canadians”.  I guess if CSEC … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics and Government, Privacy and Surveillance | Tagged , , , | 9 Comments

Forget “Angry Birds” Where are the Angry Canadians?

Posted on February 2, 2014 by susanonthesoapbox

Saturday’s headline in Canada’s “newspaper of record”, The Globe and Mail, was not “Harper government caught spying on Canadians” but “Rob Ford admits jaywalking ticket in Vancouver”.  Are you kidding me??? Let’s review the week, shall we? It started with … Continue reading →

Posted in Crime and Justice, Politics and Government, Privacy and Surveillance | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 23 Comments

The Trouble with Ezra Levant…

Posted on January 26, 2014 by susanonthesoapbox

Ezra Levant is a Canadian media personality, an ultra-conservative political activist, author and lawyer who has made a brilliant career out of being half right.  In a recent episode of The Source, Mr Levant outlined the flaws in Neil Young’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy & Natural Resources, Environment, Politics and Government | Tagged , , , , , | 58 Comments