Two Canadian soldiers were killed this week. The first, Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent, was run down by a car in a parking lot in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec. The second, Cpl. Nathan Cirillo, was killed while standing guard at the National War Memorial. Both were unarmed. On Saturday a small group of
Continue readingAuthor: susanonthesoapbox
Susan on the Soapbox: Turkey Day at the Soapbox House
“There’s no such thing as too much turkey”.— Mr Soapbox Mr Soapbox is a peculiar man. He’s a wonderful cook who rises to any occasion but when it come to Thanksgiving (or Christmas for that matter) he believes that it’s unnatural to allow the celebration to pass without roasting a
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: 194 ABCs and Why They Matter
The other day on the campaign trail I met a Bearded Dragon. He was curled up in the arms of a little girl, blinking sleepily in the afternoon sun. He practically purred when I stroked his chin. (Yes I know they don’t purr but I swear he smiled when I
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Premier Prentice Fast Tracks Flood Mitigation
It started with another “feel good” press release. On Wed Sept 24, 2014, Premier Prentice announced that he was proceeding with two flood mitigation projects. He’ll divert the Highwood River to protect High River and create a dry reservoir in the Springbank area to protect Calgary. Then it all went
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Jim Prentice’s First Week in Office–Straight out of the Corporate Playbook
“As of this moment, Alberta is under new management.” — Jim Prentice, 16th Premier of Alberta* Transition. There’s nothing more unsettling; no, strike that, nerve-wracking, for an organization than a change-out of senior leadership, particularly when the old leader is universally regarded as an abject failure (will I be condemned
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Jim Prentice Names his Cabinet: New Brooms Sweep Clean or Do They?
By this time tomorrow it will all be over, Jim Prentice, the premier-designate, will have unveiled his new cabinet. Mr Prentice, the proverbial “new broom”, promised to sweep clean a cabinet larded with MLAs, who have enjoyed the unique privilege that comes with 43 years of uncontested power, and replace
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: How a “Fiscally Conservative” Government Facing a $20 Billion Debt Delivers on its Promises
“Tonight, we begin the work of advancing and protecting sound, conservative fiscal principles.” —Future Premier Jim Prentice, victory speech, Sept 6, 2014 It hasn’t escaped Ms Soapbox’s notice that the party that bills itself as fiscally conservative has us on track for a $20 billion infrastructure debt—at a time when
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Ms Soapbox Throws Her Hat In The Ring
Ms Soapbox would like to make an announcement: She’s seeking the Liberal nomination in the provincial riding of Calgary Elbow. Calgary Elbow was left MLA-less when former premier Alison Redford resigned her seat on Aug 6, 2014…although it would be fair to say it has been unrepresented for quite some
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Top Ten Reasons Why Jim Prentice’s “Term Limited” Government is a Bad Idea
Politicians are not tins of spork. The good ones don’t go bad just because they’ve been sitting around for a while. Of all of the things that PC party leadership candidate Jim Prentice could have done to restore Albertans’ trust in government, imposing term limits on provincial MLAs was not
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Jim Prentice Fails the “Truthiness” Test (apologies to Stephen Colbert)
If Jim Prentice is going to wade into the murky waters of “truthiness” the least he could do is do it properly, otherwise the whole thing becomes a farce. Stephen Colbert “Truthiness” is a term coined by political satirist/comic Stephen Colbert to describe the practice of framing a political message
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: The Tory Airplane Scandal–Excuses, Excuses
“I am optimistic that your review will assist in securing Albertans’ continued confidence in their government and trust in their elected officials.”—Premier Redford’s letter to the Auditor General requesting a review of her compliance with the Travel and Expense policy, Mar 4, 2014 Ms Redford Ms Redford’s optimism quickly turned
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Alberta’s Rogue Politics and Politicians
Is Alison Redford a rogue politician or does she belong to a rogue party? A rogue is a dishonest or unprincipled man (or woman), a scoundrel, villain, miscreant, reprobate, good-for-nothing, ne’re-do-well, wretch, louse, crook. The word “rogue” entered the lexicon of Alberta politics after Auditor General Merwan Saher reviewed Alison
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Bread, Circuses and the Great Alberta Plate Debate
Poor Premier Hancock. Remember him. He tried to pull off the “bread and circuses” gambit—and kicked over a hornet’s nest. The phrase “bread and circuses” was coined the Romans. It refers to the political strategy of distracting the population from failed government policies and inadequate leadership with “bread” (trivial benefits)
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Top Ten Reasons Why Jim Prentice is Nothing Like Peter Lougheed
“During a one-and-a-half hour editorial board meeting…with Progressive Conservative leadership candidate… Jim Prentice, I was struck by how often Lougheed’s legendary thoughtfulness, tone and command of all topics came to mind.”—Licia Corbella, Calgary Herald, July 11, 2014 It’s official. As far as Ms Corbella is concerned Jim Prentice is the
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Alberta’s Climate Change Strategy Goes Up in Smoke
Alberta’s Auditor General blew a gasket. He called the government’s performance on climate change strategy “troubling” and “disturbing”. Hey, he’s a mild mannered accountant; this is as in-your-face as he gets. Our feisty Auditor General Mr Saher kicked off the July 2014 audit report with a lesson on the role
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Who Deserves A Severance Package: Ms Neala Barton or the AHS Executives?
“de-mur: to make objection; especially on the grounds of scruples”—Dictionary.com Neala Barton has the uncanny ability to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and emerge unscathed. She was a communications staffer for Ontario health minister David Caplan—until he resigned over the eHealth scandal. She moved on to
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: A Gift from Chief Justice McLachlin: The Tsilhqot’in Decision on Aboriginal Rights*
On June 26, 2014, in a unanimous decision of the Supreme Court of Canada, Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin gave the First Nations (and the rest of Canada) a treasure map. Chief Justice McLachlin It wasn’t a crumpled piece of paper covered with a cryptic scrawl, but a comprehensive legal analysis
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Ric McIver Stumbles…the PC Party Falls
“Closed-mindedness or intolerance have no place in the PC [party].” —The PC party’s response to Ric McIver’s participation in the March for Jesus led by anti-gay pastor Artur Pawlowski. Instead of belabouring Ric McIver’s pathetic too-little, too-late apology for participating in last Sunday’s March for Jesus (led by Pastor Pawlowski
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Desmond Tutu and the “Animals in War” Memorial
Everywhere you turn in London there’s a statue or monument commemorating an epic battle or a long dead sovereign. While interesting, none is as compelling as the Animals in War memorial. It reduced me to tears. The Animals in War memorial consists of two mules struggling to approach a gap
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