James Madison said tyranny arises “on some favourable emergency”. The COVID-19 pandemic is today’s “favourable emergency.” It’s being used by unscrupulous politicians as a smokescreen for undemocratic behavior in Alberta’s Legislature and an excuse for Jason Kenney to enlist the crème de la crème of right-wing conservative thinkers to reshape
Continue readingTag: Alberta Health Care
Susan on the Soapbox: COVID-19: A Study in Leadership
“The first role of government is to help people in crisis or need. That’s why we have government.”– John McCain Crisis separates the leaders from wannabes. We will be watching our leaders and wannabes very carefully over the next few months to see how they respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Family Day Alberta Style
Tomorrow is Family Day in Alberta. While we wait for Jason Kenney’s Family Day announcement extolling the virtues of the family and maybe throwing in a reference to Albertans as “people of destiny” (he hasn’t rolled out that hoary chestnut for a few months) we pause to consider how Family
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Is This a Time for Hope?
It’s hard to find hope when so many Albertans are hurting. It’s even more difficult when you realize Alberta’s own government is the source of their pain. Nevertheless, there is cause for hope. I saw that eye-roll. Let me tell you why I’m hopeful. The Notley opposition
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: About Those Ear Plugs…
Sigh. I expected to spend the next four years writing letters to my MLA, Doug Schweitzer, but I didn’t think the first one would be about ear plugs. But we play the cards we’re dealt so here goes. Dear Hon. Doug Schweitzer, Justice Minister and Solicitor General, I’m a lawyer
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: The UCP Addresses Conversion Therapy…”in due course”
By a strange coincidence Ru Paul’s Drag Race Season 11 came to town the same week that Premier Kenney and his Health Minister, Tyler Shandro, explained (sort of) the UCP government’s position on conversion therapy. Ms Soapbox and her daughters had tickets to the Ru Paul show and were delighted
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Here’s a bet: Alberta Health Services review announced yesterday will cost more than any savings it finds
Tyler Shandro was pretty bold yesterday when he put out a Government of Alberta news release announcing the United Conservative Party Government’s promised review of Alberta Health Services. Mr. Shandro is the baby-faced MLA for Calgary-Acadia who was made minister of health by Premier Jason Kenney. He is a lawyer
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: What Albertans Can Learn From Barack Obama
To paraphrase that old E.F. Hutton commercial, when Barack Obama talks, people listen. Last week Obama spoke at the University of Illinois. He broke with the tradition of ex-presidents stepping away from the podium to give the new guy a chance to get on with his agenda because these are
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Thank You Alberta Party!
When Greg Clark stepped down as the leader of the Alberta Party Ms Soapbox wondered whether the party had lost its mind. When Rick Fraser and Stephen Mandel, two former Progressive Conservatives, entered the AP leadership race, Ms Soapbox wondered whether the party had been taken over by the Progressive
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: When They Go Low: the Kenney by-election debate
On Sunday afternoon Mr and Ms Soapbox were jammed into an overheated community hall listening to five politicians explain why they were the best choice to represent the good citizens of Calgary-Lougheed in the by-election triggered when Dave Rodney stepped down to give UCP leader Jason Kenney a seat in
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: How Truth Dies
The UCP leadership race just began and already we’re being asked to choose between two conflicting versions of the truth. Jason Kenney says Brian Jean is a poor financial manager because Jean created a $337,000 deficit in the UCP caucus budget–apparently Jean embarked on a “massive hiring spree” to run
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: What Does a “Free Enterprise” Leader Look Like?
Jason Kenney promises to return Alberta to prosperity if Albertans vote for his Wildrose/PC “free enterprise” party. Given the paucity of information around what his “free enterprise” party stands for, we are left to assume Mr Kenney will emulate corporate “free enterprise” leaders if he ends up in the premier’s
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Never mind the evidence! Full speed ahead! An expert unpacks Alberta’s unending experiment in health care staffing
PHOTOS: Nursing professional responsibility advisor Joshua Bergman addresses UNA’s annual general meeting in Edmonton Wednesday (Dave Cournoyer photo). Below: Conservative premier Ralph Klein, whose government began the province’s long experiment in health care staffing mixes as part of an ideologically motivated attack on social programs. For nigh on 20 years,
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: The K-Bro Linen Flap
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 →
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: How the Conservatives Spun Murray Edwards and Vicki Kaminski
This week the conservatives spun Murray Edwards’ decision to move to England and Vicki Kaminski’s decision to leave Alberta Health Services for a job in Australia to convince Albertans to ditch the NDP. The spin looked like this: Facts [Edwards/Kaminski … Continue reading →
Continue readingAlberta Politics: Albertans will soon be able to ‘tap’ for ambulance service with new smartphone app
PHOTO: An artist’s rendering of what one of a new TAP-ulanceRX emergency care vehicle might look like. TAP-ulance Premium emergency vehicles will resemble conventional ambulances but offer a higher grade of gurney and a premium sound system, plus an …
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Five Resolutions for Rachel Notley
Ms Soapbox’s first round of New Year’s resolutions for a politician (Alison Redford) were ignored, but she’s a persistent soul and will try again. This time she’s prepared five resolutions for Premier Rachel Notley. Stay the course on your climate … Continue reading →
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Jim Prentice’s Budget: The Not-So-Subtle Language of Money
“There is no fortress so strong that money cannot take it.” — Cicero On Mar 24, 2015 Jim Prentice sent Albertans a message of such heartless cynicism that only the most naïve amongst us would fail to understand. Money talks. Here’s what Jim Prentice’s Budget 2015* told Albertans. Corporations matter,
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: The Interview We Wish We Had With Premier Prentice on Budget 2015
“I believe we show who we are, and how much we care, by what we do.”—Stephen Harper, Canada’s prime minister In his March 24 “State of the Province Address” Mr Prentice urged Albertans to receive his new budget in a spirit of openness. He said if we all act responsibly
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Laurie Blakeman Takes a Symbolic Step…in the Wrong Direction
Crikey! On Friday Liberal MLA Laurie Blakeman announced that she’ll be running as a candidate for the Liberals, the Alberta Party and the Greens in the upcoming election… …and on Sunday Ms Soapbox announced to her dad that she’d joined the NDP. He swears he’ll never speak to her again.
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