Responding to Orlando
Can we talk about that which cannot be named? On June 12 forty-nine people were massacred at a nightclub in Orlando. Alberta’s political leaders expressed their horror at the senseless…
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Rachel Notley and the Wonder Women
Anyone who thinks women are too emotional and unpredictable for a life in politics hasn’t met Rachel Notley and the Wonder Women. Ms Soapbox had the pleasure of meeting some…
Physician Assisted Dying: How the SCC got there
It’s a paradox. Your right to die is an affirmation of your right to live. In a unanimous decision of astonishing clarity the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) decided that…
The Wildrose and PCs Weigh In On Medically Assisted Dying
We’ve seen a lot of fireworks in the Alberta Legislature but nothing can match the rhetoric and misinformation that characterized the response of the Wildrose (and to a lesser extent…
Dividing Up the Family Home
Ms Soapbox and her sister Elle are on Vancouver Island visiting the folks. (Elle is not her real name but she values her privacy and bites and throws things if…
The Wildrose Vision (such as it is)
Brian Jean, leader of the Wildrose party, has a vision for uniting Alberta’s conservatives. It’s based on “the best elements” of Peter Lougheed and Ralph Klein’s legacies and rejects the…
The Fort McMurray Wildfire: Another Wasted Opportunity for the Wildrose
On May 10, Danielle Larivee, minister of Municipal Affairs, welcomed Wildrose MLAs Brian Jean and Tany Yao back to the Legislature. They’d been in Fort McMurray surveying the damage from…
Ghomeshi’s Apology
It’s over. Yesterday Jian Ghomeshi signed a peace bond and apologized to Kathryn Borel. The Crown dropped the sexual assault charge. Here’s Mr Ghomeshi’s apology and Ms Borel’s reply. Ghomeshi’s…
The Wildrose Sips Leninade. Really?
Just when you thought you’d seen it all the Wildrose Official Opposition upped the ante on red-baiting. They’re using Members’ Statements, a part of the Legislature’s Daily Order of Business,…
The Catholic Church’s Last Chance
Suing the Catholic Church is like throwing Jello at the wall, it’s a mess but not much sticks. Thousands of Canada’s First Nations, Metis, Inuit and Inuvialuit joined in a…
Notley’s Budget: Myths and Facts
The NDP government unveiled its budget on Thursday. The conservatives reacted as if the government dropped a neutron bomb on the people. Wildrose leader Brian Jean worried that parents driving…
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…
It’s Time for the Soapy Awards!
Ms Soapbox was trolling through Hansard searching for signs of intelligent life under the Dome when she discovered (sandwiched between the Wildrose Opposition’s accusation that the Premier appointed a Soviet-era…
The Ghomeshi Verdict: We Deserve Better
“Violence against women is not about the behavior of the women.”–Gillian Hnatiw, lawyer for Lucy DeCoutere By his own admission Jian Ghomeshi likes rough sex. The legal question is whether…
Let’s Make Alberta Great Again: Elect Donald Trump!
Donald Trump’s scary lead in the Republican nominee race led Ms Soapbox to wonder whether The Donald’s promise to Make America Great Again! with a mishmash of protectionist, racist ideas…
“Kudatah”: It’s not a joke
Ms Soapbox is deeply troubled by last week’s failed Kudatah. The Kudatah (or “coup d’etat” for those who know how to spell) was George Clark’s attempt to overthrow the NDP…
Justice Abella a.k.a. Rock Star
Rosalie Silberman never wanted to be a judge. But the phone kept ringing. Would she like to be a Family Court judge? She was 29 and pregnant but sure, why…
Ezra Levant: Once a lawyer always a lawyer?
Ms Soapbox is grateful to Ezra Levant (and that’s not an easy thing to say). Thanks to Ezra she’s discovered that journalism is not a profession (actually she suspected it…
Journalism Redefined
It’s been a disturbing week. Ezra Levant, who swore under oath that he was not a reporter, sued the NDP government for refusing to let him attend (and report, presumably)…