Here are a few things that caught my eye last month. My list is getting long so some are slipping to next month but hopefully, I captured a few that interest you. Here goes:
Really? Do you have to be so negative? - During an interview on CBC, Manitoba Premier Pallister was asked why his province, after criticizing the federal government for not doing a good job of procuring and distributing COVID rapid tests now had a stockpile of these tests that they were not using. Pallister explained that Manitoba had procured their own rapid tests outside of the federal procurement process and believed these tests to be "better" and therefore they did not intend to use the federally provided rapid tests. Pallister went on to describe the federally procured rapid tests as a "Ford Pinto" (for those of you too young to know what a Ford Pinto is, it is a old, poorly designed, unreliable car). I am not an expert in rapid COVID tests but I seriously doubt if the federally procured tests are the "Ford Pinto" of rapid tests. Is it not possible for political leaders to just describe the reason for their actions in a positive manner and not always feel the need (often unnecessary) to criticism the other guy?
Aren't you glad you live in Canada? - The most serious part of this story was the unexpected, rapid and dangerous outbreak of COVID-19 in Newfoundland. It is important to note that Newfoundland has recorded relatively few cases (there are definitely advantages of being an island during a pandemic!). In fact last summer they went days without any cases. Then all of a sudden, earlier this year, they have a significant COVID-19 outbreak made more dangerous by the number of variant cases within the total. To the province's credit, the medical health officer took charge and immediately put strict but necessary health restrictions in place (unlike Ontario where Ford refuses to listen to health experts and take the necessary actions). Although dangerous and I am sure scary for Newfoundland residents the outbreak was quickly under control. The added complication to all of this was that this outbreak happened during a provincial election. I am going to acknowledge there seemed to be some confusion between the government, opposition parties and the chief electoral officer. It took a while to figure out if in-person voting would be allowed and what the deadline would be for requesting a mail-in ballot. However, they got it straightened out quickly and decided on a mail-in-only election. Recently it was announced that the Liberals won a majority government. I don't follow Newfoundland politics super closely but there does not seem to be much controversy around the election. No legal challenges, no social media outbreaks. Can you imagine if this had happened in the US, say in Georgia? Alabama? I think it is fair to say it would not have gone as smoothly as in Newfoundland. There are times (not always but lots of times) it is great to live in Canada.
Really? Do you have to be so negative? Part 2 (also get over it!) - Not sure if you caught two recent announcements by the Trudeau government. The first was a significant change (reduction) in mandatory minimum sentencing changing laws that were imposed during the Harper law and order years. The second, was Trudeau discussing vaccines, specifically the domestic production of vaccines and blaming the problems on Brian Mulroney's conservative government. Does anybody even remember Mulroney's government? (I was not a fan but I am over it). This to me is just another example of unnecessary negativity. If Trudeau believes in the sentencing changes (I think it sounds like a good idea) then communicate that. Make your case o the Canadian people and stand by it. Going backwards and blaming Harper in my view is counterproductive and just shows your insecurity around your own beliefs and policies. Same with domestic vaccine production. I think it is difficult to make a case that the domestic vaccine industry's issues all occurred under Trudeau's watch. It has been decades in the making and many governments, conservative and liberal let this happen. Come on Justin, grow up and stop blaming others and take charge!
Sexual Harassment in the military - I can't and won't try any humour or sarcasm on this subject, it is far too serious. The rampant sexual harassment in the Canadian military is a complete embarrassment. Clearly, the leadership of the military was and is not taking this seriously and was and is not committed to meaningful change. Johnathan Vance the ex-Chief of Army staff and the sponsor of Operation Honour (really?) is being investigated. His replacement is out after one month and is being investigated. The leader in charge of Human Resources is being investigated. Women (and it has largely been women) in the military must think these programs and words from leaders are a complete but very dangerous joke. Preditors and abusers must feel like they can get away with anything. Meanwhile, the Defense Minister and the Prime Minister are just trying to cover their own asses and speaking meaningless talking points. This is not an easy one to solve but a starting point would be taking action on Marie Deschamps's report on Sexual Misconduct and Sexual Harassment in the Canadian Armed Forces. The report is six years old and Trudeau and his government have yet to implement any of the recommendations. That and a wholesale change in leadership might be a start to some change.
How can this be happening in 2021? - The answer to that question is that many corporations, large and small, public and private continue to take advantage of their workers. Workers, most of which are non-unionized are left unprotected by government rules and regulations. Clearly, governments and particularly governments like Doug Ford's conservative provincial government is cozy, bordering on (and sometimes passing) corruption with corporate interests. Employees at the Royal Canada Milk Company in Kingston accuse the company of treating them poorly, not supplying them with proper protective equipment and threatening and harassing them. Employees have expressed fears that they will be killed on the job. The Chinese-owned company is accused of breaking numerous labour laws, including shift length and compensating for overtime. The provincial government gave the company $24M to build the plant in Kingston. In another example of the lack of transparency of the Trudeau government, they will not disclose the amount of money they gave the company. You can read the CBC reporting on this situation here - https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/harassment-allegations-canada-royal-milk-plant-1.5967470. When I first saw Janice McGregor (one of my favourite CBC reporters) report this story live on CBC news you could tell she was visibly upset by what she had discovered at this workplace. That and the fact that clearly, despite reporting incidents to the provincial government no corrective action has been taken by either the company and the government. This is not the industrial revolution in England, this is Canada in 2021. For all those people who argue for less government and fewer regulations, this is what you get and unless governments at all levels get a lot more diligent with regards to these issues there are going to be more and more cases.
Golfing this week! - Just so that not every one of my quick takes is a rant let's leave on something exciting. I have a tee time for my first round of golf this week. Teresa, Sean and I hope to play, weather permitting. Teresa and I have been to the outdoor range twice so far (it was packed by safely distanced) and with the warmer weather, we are looking forward to the 2021 golf season. Teresa and I joined Bay of Quinte GC this year and hope to spend more time at the cottage this summer and play golf at BofQ. Our first tee time there is April 12. If you are a golfer, I hope you get out soon. Enjoy!
Let me know your thoughts or comments on the takes above or anything you found interesting that I missed at thethirdperiod.ca@gmail.com
Comments