Now that the election is over and the dust is settling, Ms Soapbox has been reflecting on the results. What do we make of this? The thrust of Mr Kenney’s victory speech was that Albertans value the economy and jobs above all else. (Whether this is a conservative ideal
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Susan on the Soapbox: A Really Great Photo…
I know, I know, I’ve already done an article on why I voted for Rachel, but I took this really great photo at the Calgary Rally on Saturday and I had to share it. Ta da!! So, now that I’ve got your attention here are my top 10 reasons to
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: A Guide to UCP “Conservatives”
The Peter Lougheed Progressive Conservatives parted company with the Kenney “conservatives” when Kenney created the free enterprise unity party. Those three little words signaled the transformation of the conservative party into one that cares only about money. With the Lougheed PCs gone the UCP turned elsewhere to fill out their
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Don’t Look Away
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” to support Jason Kenney or will they follow the lead
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: The Day Jason Kenney Edited the UCP Policy Document…
The UCP policy document opens with a letter from Jason Kenney which cribs Ronald Reagan’s well known question, “Are you better off today than you were four years ago?” Kenney’s answer is no, and he lists a number of reasons why it’s time for a change. The “time for a
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: GSAs…Here we go again
Last Thursday Mr and Ms Soapbox joined hundreds of Calgarians protesting Mr Kenney’s plan to out kids who join gay-straight alliances (GSAs) in schools. The question on everyone’s mind was why would the man who says he’s fit to govern Alberta enact legislation that increases the risk of harm to
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Jason Kenney and the Pope
Is there a limitation period after which we can safely disregard a politician’s scary comments? In 2000 Jason Kenney, then a 32 year old federal MP, gave a disturbing speech* at the St Joseph’s Community Catholic Home School Conference. It’s disturbing because it foreshadows how Kenney will govern if he
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: A Little Story About Character
Sometimes it’s the little stories that move us. Last week Mr and Ms Soapbox attended a fundraiser for Rachel Notley. It was hosted by a group of Calgary lawyers at a swanky downtown restaurant. Lawyers, business people and representatives from the non-profit sector chatted over appetizers and wine. During the
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Tactical Politics … What?
Not a week goes by without Jason Kenney saying something stupid, being called on it, and then saying something even more stupid in a failed attempt to silence his critics. This week’s clunker came in response to a question about Mr Kenney’s progress in attracting female candidates to run for
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Some Thoughts on Jody Wilson-Raybould’s Testimony
It’s been another week of high drama in politics. Albertan’s concerns over allegations of impropriety surrounding Jason Kenney winning the leadership of the UCP have been swamped by accusations that Justin Trudeau violated the rule of law in his dealings with Jody Wilson-Raybould over the prosecution of SNC-Lavalin. SNC is
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: The 2019 Provincial Election: What it will be about and what it should be about
Last week Ms Soapbox had the pleasure of appearing on a panel with economist Trevor Tombe and naturalist Kevin Van Tighem to discuss our perspectives on the upcoming provincial election. The event was moderated by Shelley Youngblut and presented by Alberta Views magazine and Wordfest. We focused on two questions:
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Sorry, Not Enought “Human Capital”
Restaurant Canada wants Alberta’s $15/hour minimum wage reduced for youth, liquor servers and people with disabilities. Mr Kenney says he’ll consider a reduction for youth and alcohol servers. No word yet on his position on people with disabilities but given his rhetoric (see below) we can assume people with disabilities
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Kenny Controls the Narrative, Why is this a Surprise?
We’ve been so focused on Jason Kenney’s public rhetoric that we didn’t see him transform the Progressive Conservatives and Wildrose MLAs into a bunch of hush puppies ready to recite whatever speaking notes he gives them. The transformation took less than two years. This probably says more about the integrity
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: CAPP Meet Mr Kenney
Recently Mr Kenney told municipal leaders in Cochrane that in addition to multi-billion dollar deficits and rising debt levels Alberta was drowning in red tape. To illustrate his point Kenney said it takes a week to approve a conventional oil well in Texas but a year or more to approve
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: An Election is Coming, Some Policies Would Be Nice
UCP leader Jason Kenney wants Rachel Notley to call the election on Feb 1, 2019 so Albertans can go to the polls in the first week of March. He has scheduled an election readiness conference from Feb 15 to 17, after that it’s full steam ahead…except for the fact the
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Coincidence?
Ms Soapbox has spent the last two days poring over Hansard. Now she’s sick in bed. Coincidence?
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Alberta Separatism Rears its Goofy Head
Ms Soapbox was thinking about the fog of words when she received a mass mailout letter from someone she’ll call Mr X urging her to join him and thousands of others (who shall remain nameless because their names were not provided) in an effort to motivate Canadians to make the
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Politics in the Age of Bewilderment
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 by pretending it doesn’t exist. They hope to turn this
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Dignity and Respect
Two remarkable things happened this week. One remarkably good, the other remarkably bad. Let’s start with the remarkably good. Ricardo Miranda, Alberta’s Minister of Culture and Tourism, got married to journalist and communications specialist, Christopher Brown, this week. Premier Rachel Notley officiated at the wedding and had the privilege of
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Merry Christmas!
The politicians are on break and so are we. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from the Soapbox family. Wishing you and yours the very best for 2019! Oh, and here’s the newest addition to the Soapbox family…meet Rudy the rescue dog!
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