Federal government response to COVID a failure
It should now be clear to every Canadian that our government’s COVID-19 response is a failure. Our vaccine rollout is 18th among developed nations, and the Lowry institute, one of Australia’s most respected think tanks, has us 61st among 98 nations in terms vaccine distribution, behind some nations we think of as “undeveloped.” What is more, we recently have tapped vaccine supplies designated for poorer nations, much to the consternation of fair minded Canadians, who are worried about how their country’s reputation as well as the welfare of our people.
So who is responsible for this colossal and disgraceful failure? A recent Macleans article by Scott Gilmore published on Jan. 28 and entitled “The Numbers are In: Canada’s Covid Fighting Efforts are among the World’s Worst” sheds considerable light on this terrible disgrace. As the article points out, although the provinces have not always responded in the best way and have made policy errors, the blame lies almost exclusively on Justin Trudeau and the federal Liberals. Trudeau’s policy regarding COVID has been erratic and dysfunctional. He is the only G7 leader who has not returned to his official functions and has tried to lead policy from home. That in itself is odd and questionable.
He could have invoked the Emergencies Act and dealt with the crisis immediately, similar to the way New Zealand did, but he did not. He could have forced domestic manufacturers to produce the vaccine, but he did not. He could have used the military to set up centres for distribution of the vaccine, as they have recently tried to do in America, but he did not. The list of “he did not” offences continues to grow.
Meanwhile he, and to be fair the premiers, are blaming everyone but themselves. But the central fact remains: the prime minister has failed the nation. As we go into a very probable election in the late spring or early summer, it is important to add this fact to the string of unsavoury policies and inept mistakes which seem to make up the bulk of his actions. How much longer can we tolerate this? How much more of this do we deserve? Good questions all around.
Perry Foster
Duncan