The UCP AGM is such a bizarre event. Sure, there were the typical UCP policies to create an Alberta Pension Plan, collect Alberta taxes here in Alberta, replace the RCMP with a provincial police force, “so there” referendums to show the Feds Alberta is miffed about transfer payments, and policies
Continue readingAuthor: susanonthesoapbox
Susan on the Soapbox: HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!
Ms Soapbox and her family would like to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving. To say that it’s been different this year would be an understatement, but we can all be thankful for the people who give us joy. I’ll be back next week to pick up where we left
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Speaker’s Corner
Ms Soapbox is working on a project that will keep her busy for the next couple of weeks. Rather than allow The Soapbox, a virtual Speakers’ Corner, to fall silent, she’d like to invite her thoughtful readers to share their views on issues of concern; God knows, there are enough
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Thoughts on the Death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg
US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died on Friday Sept 18, 2020 at the age of 87. She was appointed to the court by President Bill Clinton in 1993 and had been battling cancer in one form or another since 1999. She vowed to remain on the bench as
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Decision Day for Dr Day
Mr Justice Steeves’ decision in Cambie Surgeries Corporation v. British Columbia (Attorney General) reads like a Scott Turow novel, albeit at a slower pace. It includes all the major elements of a legal thriller: a law suit with white hats and black hats, ordinary people desperately searching for ways to
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Alberta’s School Re-Entry Plan: It is what it is
These are unprecedented times, and they’re not being made any easier by Jason Kenney’s callous justification for his government’s half-baked School Re-Entry Plan, or Dr Hinshaw’s Order 33-2020 which was intended to clarify questions around masking and social distancing in schools but muddied the waters even more. “It’s inevitable” On
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: The Day of (Fiscal) Reckoning
Jason Kenney’s warning came just prior to the government’s economic update announcement. He said “when we get through all of this there will be a fiscal reckoning”. Reckoning. It has a biblical ring and in this context the implication is that no matter what calamity is visited upon us, we
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: What Alberta’s School Re-entry Plan Teaches Us About Trust
On July 21, the UCP government announced 750,000 students will return to school in September under the government’s re-entry plan Scenario 1. Scenario 1 means in-class learning under near-normal daily operating conditions with health measures. These measures include two free reusable masks per student (mandatory for grades 4 and up
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: A “Marathon Session”
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 promises—he has not delivered on the promise of “jobs, economy,
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Alberta is Not for Sale
“Greed is good. Greed is right. Greed works.” — Gordon Gekko in the movie ‘Wall Street’ Our Covid numbers are rising, GDP is falling and the UCP government is burying us in a blizzard of announcements promising a relaunch strategy that will return us to “normal”. The challenge for Albertans
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Police Surveillance of NDP Cabinet Minister Shannon Phillips
As Ms Soapbox read the decision of retired superintendent Paul Manuel, formerly of the Calgary Police Service, in the disciplinary proceedings against two members of the Lethbridge Police Service who conducted unauthorized surveillance of an NDP Cabinet Minister at a breakfast meeting with four stakeholders, a thought crossed her mind:
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Kenney’s Recovery Plan: A Failure to Launch
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 message to the world that Alberta is the best place
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Canada Day Greetings???
Question: When is a birthday greeting not a birthday greeting? Answer: When it comes from a hypocrite. Canadians will be receiving Happy Canada Day greetings from politicians at all levels of government this Wednesday, but there’s one politician, Jason Kenney, who really shouldn’t bother. Assuming his greeting is similar
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Kenney’s Answer to Systemic Racism: The Tinkerbell Effect
“This time it’s different.” – Masai Ujiri, president of the NBA champion Toronto Raptors The death of George Floyd ignited extraordinary protests around the world. Black, brown, and indigenous people and their supporters are saying this time it’s different. Albertans joined thousands of people across the globe calling on their
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Systemic Racism in Alberta
“This is hard to watch but it’s important. We cannot ignore that systemic racism persists in Alberta and across the world.” – Rachel Notley commenting on the video of the RCMP taking down Fort Chipewyan First Nation Chief Allan Adam We were grappling with the harsh reality of our own
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: The Ignominy of Kenney’s Bill 1
As Albertans flooded into the streets to join the hundreds of thousands of people around the world protesting systemic racism and police brutality, some of us worried about the UCP government’s move to limit our right to engage in peaceful protests by enacting Bill 1, the Critical Infrastructure Defence Act.
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Jason Kenney’s Miniscule Pandemic Bump
He’s tried everything from rolling up his shirtsleeves and pointing at graphs to quoting Franklin Roosevelt (“we have nothing to fear but fear itself”), but still Albertans refuse to give him his due. Jason Kenney’s pandemic performance gave him a one point bump in approval ratings (from 47 to
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: The Day Kenney Bet $7.5 Billion on the US Election
In September 2019 Jason Kenney began negotiating with TC Energy to invest $7.5 billion in cash and loan guarantees in the Keystone XL pipeline. In March 2020 Kenney announced negotiations were complete and the government had signed an agreement which he said had been rigorously vetted by the government and
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: When Jason Kenney Told Off China and It Backfired
Covid-19 upended everything. No one knows whether the world will snap back to “normal” like an elastic band or be gone forever. Economists, futurists, and historians are all over the map when it comes to what to expect in the future. Some, like conservative historian Niall Ferguson, suggest we
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Kenney Rejects Notley’s Request for a Public Inquiry. Why?
At last count there have been 1,550 Covid-19 infections and three deaths connected with the Cargill, JBS and Harmony Beef meatpacking plants in Alberta. This is frightening in a province that prides itself on having the highest testing levels in the country and was so comfortable with its Covid-19
Continue reading