The Kavanaugh confirmation hearing is like a mirror shattering on the floor, shards of glass are flying every where and women are demanding accountability. Everyone knows about the two women who confronted Senator Jeff Flake in an elevator and demanded he think carefully about the message he’s sending women by
Continue readingTag: law
Susan on the Soapbox: The Trans Mountain Pipeline Court Decision
Ms Soapbox spent the long weekend poring over the Federal Court of Appeal’s decision nullifying the Order-in-Council that approved the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion (TMX). Mr Bumble’s comment in Oliver Twist comes to mind. Mr Bumble said if the court thought he could control his domineering wife, the law was
Continue readingThings Are Good: Jaywalking Shouldn’t be Illegal
So far in 2018 a car driver has killed a person every week; if this continues Toronto will see yet another year in which more people die from vehicles than guns. Automobile advocates argue that it’s the victim’s fault for dying and demand stricter punishment for trivial things like jaywalking.
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: The Magical Thinkers: Horgan and Kenney
I’m not sure what’s more bizarre, BC Premier John Horgan’s rationale for asking the BC Supreme Court to rule on whether BC can limit the amount of diluted bitumen flowing on Trans Mountain or Jason Kenney’s reaction to Horgan’s decision to take the issue to court. Magical molecules Horgan defended
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: Why is a quarter of Canada’s prison population Indigenous?
The recent decision by an all-white jury to acquit Gerald Stanley, the killer of Colten Boushie calls on us all to confront systematic racism and demand reforms to Canada’s justice system, which “works against Indigenous people at every level”. The post Why is a quarter of Canada’s prison population Indigenous?
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: An Unfathomable Darkness — The Gerald Stanley Verdict
“There is a darkness that exists in this country and I believe we are going to have to feel our way out of it.” — Chris Murphy, lawyer for the Boushie family The verdict that found Gerald Stanley not guilty of any crime, not even manslaughter, in the shooting death
Continue readingThings Are Good: Cyclists Obey the Law More Than Drivers
Cyclists are law disobeying maniacs! At least that’s a common and all too nasty rumour in North American cities. It turns out that car drivers are the maniacs according to a study fresh out of Florida. The study, the largest of it’s kind, put sensors on cyclists which monitored their
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: #Metoo?
Can we talk? Many men (and some women) worry that the #metoo movement has morphed into a man-hating witch hunt where innocent men will be publicly humiliated and deprived of their livelihoods by vindictive women spreading unfounded accusations. They point to the fate of three Canadian politicians, Ont PC leader,
Continue readingThings Are Good: Courts vs. Climate Change
New York City launched a lawsuit against some of the larger polluters on the planet to cover the costs the city faces due to climate change (projected to be over $20 billion USD). A decade ago this case would likely have been thrown out, today with the effects of climate
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: The Rule of Law in An Age of Fear
“He who puts security before liberty deserves neither.” –Dennis Edney Q.C. quoting Benjamin Franklin Last week Dennis Edney Q.C. delivered the 2018 Milvain Lecture at the University of Calgary. His topic was The Rule of Law in an Age of Fear and his defence of Omar Khadr. Edney discussed the
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Who’s the Real Enemy?
“You’re either with us or against us.” — Benito Mussolini First the UCP demanded the Premier ignore the rules of the House, then they accused her of being against rural Albertans and siding with the criminals because she refused to ignore the rules of the House. Do these guys even
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: The Whole Gay Thing
Recently Brad Trost and Jason Kenney made some troubling comments about the whole gay thing and the progressives just won’t let it go. Trost, a “full spectrum” conservative, believes in all three conservative values: social conservatism, fiscal conservatism, and democratic populist conservatism. He recently shared his views on “the whole
Continue readingThe Cracked Crystal Ball II: Senator Plett Reprises His Complaints on Bill C-16
Whether we are talking about Bill C-16, Bill C-279 or Bill C-389, there has been one consistent thing in the Senate – the voice of Senator Plett droning on about how terrible this legislation is. This week, second reading of Bill C-16 happened in the Senate, and sure enough Senator
Continue readingThe Cracked Crystal Ball II: Senator Plett Reprises His Complaints on Bill C-16
Whether we are talking about Bill C-16, Bill C-279 or Bill C-389, there has been one consistent thing in the Senate – the voice of Senator Plett droning on about how terrible this legislation is. This week, second reading of Bill C-16 happened in the Senate, and sure enough Senator
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Kellie Leitch: An Example of “New Racism”
On Sept 7, 2016 Kellie Leitch posted a tweet in which she shared an article that appeared in Macleans magazine. The article set out her proposal to vet all newcomers to Canada for “anti-Canadian values”. On January 29, 2017 six Muslim men were murdered in a Quebec mosque by a
Continue readingThings Are Good: The Quick and Powerful Response by the ACLU
Image via Reddit. Over the weekend President Trump enacted what has come to be known as the Muslim Ban. Immediately protestors took to their nearby airports in act of solidarity with the people affected by Trump’s outrageous actions against migration. The protests are continuing today at American consulates and embassies
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Viola Desmond: The Perfect Choice
Viola Desmond is the first Canadian woman to be featured on our bank notes. We know the outline of her story—Ms Desmond was arrested, jailed and convicted for refusing to leave the whites-only section of a movie theatre. Her story speaks to the pernicious nature of racism in Canada and
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: The Calgary Police Service: Allegations of Harassment and Intimidation
If you’ve ever wondered why women are reluctant to bring forward allegations of sexual harassment, look no further than the furor unleashed when 15 female police officers contacted city councillor and police commissioner Diane Colley-Urquhart to discuss sexual harassment and the culture of intimidation and retaliation they’d experienced at the
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Brian Jean Makes a Joke
Two things happened this week that reflect very poorly on the judgment of Wildrose Party leader Brian Jean and his supporters. The first was The Joke. The second was his apology for The Joke. Let’s take them in turn. The … Continue reading →
Susan on the Soapbox: The NDP’s Power Play: Myths and Facts
Alberta’s NDP government wants to save Albertans $2 billion and the Wildrose, the Progressive Conservatives and the media are churning up a dust storm of misinformation trying to stop them. Let’s take it from the top, shall we? Klein deregulates … Continue reading →