My COVID-19 coronavirus article in Epoch Times, Mar 17.
The federal government can’t win with the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus**, commonly known as the novel coronavirus. Canada is today where Italy was 10 days ago.
The feds have bungled a perfect opportunity to demonstrate the best reasons why people might like big government: a coordinated response, bulk purchasing of necessary items, unified messaging, and national unity.
For much of the crisis, Ottawa seems to have put all its focus on appearing calm and rational—so calm, in fact, that many of us have wondered whether our leaders were asleep at the switch.
What could have been done better?
Coordinated Response
The government could have coordinated a response to the CCP virus. That doesn’t mean martial law, but at least they could have put a little more energy into screening travellers returning from areas of high risk. It would have reassured the public and emphasized later messages about strict social isolation.
The first step in social isolation is to isolate ourselves from other countries. Using the government’s own language, it would have flattened the curve on public panic and a run on groceries. We would not have bare shelves at grocery stores.
Bulk Purchasing
All ministries of health should have been discussing resources. I thought the main argument for big, centralized governments was because they got such great deals on necessary things, which the provinces can’t get on their own. Things such as hospital beds and ventilators.
Some reports indicate that one in five infected patients over the age of 80 will need ventilator support in an intensive care unit. Even just the recovery from having been on a ventilator for a few days can be brutal—if you manage to survive. This means that we need many more ventilators and beds than we have now, although no one knows exactly how many.
There are only 1.4 acute beds per 1,000 population in Ontario, and an average of 2.58 beds per 1,000 across the whole country. Wuhan, ground zero of the virus outbreak in China, had 4.3 and needed to build two large emergency hospitals to house the hordes of infected patients. No wonder “flatten the curve” has been pushed so hard to avoid overloading the health-care system. We don’t need to just flatten the curve; we can’t handle the curve we have now.
Unified Message
A unified message would have helped. To be fair, the feds did have a somewhat unified message, similar to the four-stage approach in a time of crisis outlined in the BBC political satire sitcom “Yes Prime Minister”:
“In stage one we say, ‘Nothing’s going to happen.’ In stage two we say, ‘Something might happen, but we should do nothing about it.’ In stage three we say, ‘Maybe we should do something about it, but there is nothing we CAN do.’ And in stage four we say, ‘Maybe there’s something we could have done, but it’s too late now.’”
National Unity
A unified, practical message in early February would have gone a long way to prepare the public. Give people direction. Offer ideas. Let them know that there are actions they can take now. National unity grows on finding common cause, on demonstrating that we can all play a part to fight something bigger than ourselves.
Instead, Canadians got a CBC version of the BBC four-stage approach.
When the dust from this pandemic settles, voters should approach their members of Parliament with some questions: When did you first hear about this? When did you put plans in place to make sure Canadians had enough hospital beds, ventilators, and other necessary medical equipment? Why did you not try to offer more active messaging in an attempt to “flatten the curve” on public panic as people rushed to stockpile and socially isolate?
It shouldn’t require individual citizens to raise the alarm on social media, chat groups, and in email chains to become aware of the risks. I first learned about damage by the new, aggressive Wuhan virus from The Epoch Times. Kudos to ET for doing what we pay the departments of health billions of dollars to do.
Coronavirus Future?
The spread of COVID-19 may slow down in the warmer months, as SARS and the Spanish flu did. However, the Spanish flu came roaring back the next fall.
We could reasonably be in for 12-18-months of turmoil. It will shape a new normal. Infectious disease experts have been warning of the next big pandemic, as well as multi-drug resistant bacteria, for years.
The federal government exists to protect the country from external threats. It exists for a time such as this. Let’s hope we make it through relatively unscathed.
**The Epoch Times refers to the novel coronavirus, which causes the disease COVID-19, as the CCP virus because the Chinese Communist Party’s coverup and mismanagement allowed the virus to spread throughout China and create a global pandemic.
Agreed Shawn.
It will be interesting to see how the world holds China accountable for both the cover up/mismanagement,as well as the behavior of eating/keeping wild animals allowing viruses to ‘jump’ from animals to humans … then to other humans.
On another note,while our present federal gov’t is restricting access to Canada to returning Canadians who must self isolate,it continues to allow illegal border crossers who are ‘screened’ by RCMP officers then get immediate health/dental care ….. really ????
In Communist China, whistleblowers ( in Chinese it translates as “malicious rumour spreaders”) such as Dr. Li Wenliang get persecuted to death….then , once safely dead, raised to sainthood by their persecutors.
Oh come on, Ram. Why do you have to mention all the things that we aren’t supposed to say out loud? 😀
Wet markets have been condemned widely. But they remain popular, and we suffer for it.
I applaud ET for calling it the CCP virus (they edited that into my article, but I agree with their courage).
Don’t get me started on border crossing. A nation is nothing without a border. A nation with a massive welfare safety net and an open border is insane. Eventually, the citizens will revolt, and the ones who came here legally will revolt first.
Thanks again for posting a comment!
Speaking of topics that we cannot say aloud…our centrally state/ provincial Medicare monopoly is unwieldy and wears concrete boots in times of crisis.
As an advocate for a symbiotic public private hybrid health care system…I note that in the UK, whose NHS is our own system’s mother ship has run onto the reef with this crisis…the private sector Hospitals have come to its rescue offering 20,000 extra staff; 8,000 beds and 1200 ventilators in the fight against Coronavirus.
Perhaps the level of prolonged social (and especially economic) chaos that we are courting with our “curve flattening”strategy can not be justified by the number of lives that we may save ?
Perhaps we should be setting up basic minimum-care facilities, and conscripting any idle millennials (and gen z) to staff them.
Perhaps we should say that those who do not work do not eat. Go to work. Go to school. Get the virus. Get over it. Go back to work. If your particular business closes down, go to work in the field hospitals. All hands on deck. No shirking permitted by anyone, from 16 to 45.
Put as many real doctors and nurses as possible working on the seriously ill, using whatever equipment we can scrape together.
Seriously ill, or less ill, we do as much as can possibly be done.
We encourage (and if necessary MAKE the able-bodied look after the sick)
And then let the chips fall where they may.
In a while (whatever that might mean) we will emerge, with a generational myth and a social cohesion to equal that of any. Quite simply Stronger and Better.
Because the alternative is starting to look like a great depression deliberately brought on by paying people to stay home when we need them working ; resulting in borrowing and inflation on a level that brings down governments and foments revolutions.
(And quite possibly, we will still be reduced to attempting the plan I suggest, but with much reduced resources and an already ruined small business infrastructure.)
In short, have we really thought this through ?
Best regards,
Gordon Friesen, Montreal
http://www.euthanasiediscussion.net/
Thanks Gordon. Tough suggestions and questions!
What we have now is hysteria, largely as Shawn mentioned due to government indecisiveness. But a little perspective. Yesterday we heard breathless reports of the 100th death from COVID-19 in the U.S. since the outbreak started. Thats about the same number of people killed in gun violence EVERY DAY in the U.S. of Hysteria.
Good point, Ernest!
It will be fascinating to tear this apart when it all settles down. What role did social media play in it all?
Dentists, doctors should refuse to deal with illegal border crossers. They have their hands full with the crisis.
Great point, Yvonne.
So many people come in legally. Canada is extremely welcoming; we have a need for all kinds of labourers. As far as I can tell, this single issue drives most people nuts. Only a rarefied slice of elites, often living in the richest neighbourhoods in Canada, think that this is a great idea.
Whilst the US Canadian border is closed to the law abiding citizenry of both countries…Roxham Road on the US/ Quebec/ Canada border remains open to illegal intruders…25,000 entered Canada illegally via that route last year….this year, god knows how many…Canada welcomes them and then pays for their upkeep and offers free health ( including dental) care.
One thing about the Communist socialist totalitarian brand, they know how to close borders…North Korea , whose enslaved population is invisibly and silently suffering from COVID 19 ( “If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound”) in contrast to a free and democratic South Korea which has set the standard in handling the pandemic which originated in Communist China.
I recall in 1961, as a student building housing in West Germany for fellow refugees from Communist totalitarianism, real refugees who escaped to political freedom ( the only freedom that really counts) under fire as they crossed minefields and through barbed and electrified wires…it got really exciting when the Berlin Wall went up with Soviet and US tanks facing each other.
Justin just renamed the illegal intruders as “ irregular migrants” and ordered them to be turned away…the US Canadian border is long and porous…what will he do when the illegal intruders/ illegal immigrants/ irregular migrants persist with their intrusions with whatever ailments and maladies they carry?
“ Sunny ways, my friends.Sunny ways” stated our inept and discombobulated leader Justin 2015 regurgitating Laurier’s belief that the “ sunny way” was essential for resolving complex problems facing a country.
I like Shawn’s reference to the Yes Minister 4 stages of handling a crisis, the Federal government went through all four phases , resulting in indecision which was a very deliberate decision…the fear of making a mistake ( re-election being always their primary goal) , erratophobia, paralyzed it in the belief that the only way not to do something wrong is by not doing anything…” sunny ways” chickening out would fix the unfolding crisis.
Justin is revealed as being nothing but a shallow poseur…as Buffett once stated “you don’t know who is swimming naked until the tide goes out”…well the tide is going out rapidly…perhaps a sign of an impending economic and social tsunami…nevertheless he and his government ( woke, chosen by genitalia and genital orientation) have been revealed as being stark naked and utterly incompetent.
You write the most entertaining comments, Andris, always pulling in references and making creative connections.
Agree: sunny ways by a “shallow poseur.” There should be at least some proficiency test for the job.
I always felt that those running for public office, should be able to run a hot dog stand profitably for 6 months , living off the earnings, prior to signing the required electoral documentation….without subsidization or Trust accounts.
One wonders if the South Koreans, with the North Korean Communist sword of Damocles hovering threateningly over their heads over 6 decades , hyper vigilant to danger, took the possibility of a future pandemic very seriously, acted and prepared.
We , in Canada , oblivious to danger, living under the aegis of a friendly neighbour , ruled by dewy eyed day dreaming globalists worrying about the evils of carbon and its imprint …got sucker punched by the reality that we humans do not live in harmony with nature, that nature is indifferent to the fate of humans , that it gives equal weight to human genes and COVID 19 genes in their battle.
Globalism will take a big hit with all of this, for sure. It will be interesting to see whether it makes a difference, or whether everyone forgets the lesson.
With respect Shawn,
This is not a “communist” issue. While I in no way defend the Chinese government, nor condone the cover-ups, the negligence on the part of the Trump administration, sitting at the pinnacle of capitalism itself, has been nothing short of criminal.
The issue here is that governments have for years neglected to prepare themselves and us for the pandemic, choosing instead to underfund healthcare.
Why? Because lower taxes buy votes. And we pay for those lower taxes with a drop in capacity.
Maybe it’s time we looked at it differently.
You make a great point about letting healthcare wither away, Hal.
And you make a fair point, also, about ‘communist.’ In this case, I think it applies to a particular embodiment of communism (the CCP), and a fairly unique one at that.
I’d add that lower taxes AND promises for tonnes of free stuff buy votes. As you know, I think lower taxes (to a point) help to spark innovation, investment, and help support the courage needed to take risks on new ventures. High taxes just make everyone hide in their shells, avoid new things, and look for ways to avoid the punishing taxes. Too often, it is the rich and well-connected who manage to avoid the taxes most effectively.
Thanks so much for the push back. Love it!
Cheers
“ If one intends to beat a dog, one will find something to do so…”
Those who suffer from President Trump derangement syndrome will obviously use the Wuhan COVID 19 to beat him with, if not that stick then a chair leg will do.
The fact is that the USA acted decisively but politically incorrectly with swift travel restrictions…Canada has acted hesitantly, watching incomers waltzing through customs unscreened has been frustrating and asked only about travel to China ignoring Iran, Italy and the other European hot spots.
The much maligned US President is constantly on US TV , “ sleeves rolled up “, holding transparent meetings with various stake holders.
Justin, in contrast is invisible and holding opaque meeting if any…being self isolating because of his spouse’s Corona is no excuse.
China recently charged one USChinese visitor who supposedly lied about having a fever to 7 years with hard labour.
It appears that Justin has a drinking problem (and of course : Butts for brains
From the front lines: We are doomed. I operate a very small pharmacy and identify 4 people daily by active screening who have no business being out of their homes risking others. Most have a travel history. At least 1 or 2 others should not be out for their own safety. All of these people have put me at risk so it is only a matter of time before I get sick as the government sees no need for PPE for pharmacists.
Add to the mix the large players (most noteably WalMart) for whom this is seen as a business opportunity rather than a public health crisis who are relying solely on passive screening and the good will of the public.
Public Health Needs to set up active screening tables outside these establishments. It would only take an hour for them to discover how widespread the ignorance is.
Interesting perspective….governments seem to ignore the needs of those cannon fodder “soldiers” in the trenches as per WWI….the “officers” , of course having all the protective bells and whistles.
One hears , from Britain, of colleagues going to battle in hospitals wearing their regular suits and jackets (having updated their wills), watching with envy at their South Korean equivalents going to work wearing hazmat suits.
One day the generals will come out of their HQ with wine stained table napkins still attached , waving their swords in their little porky fingers and ordering the general advance only to find the trenches empty and any survivors more likely to turn their rifles towards them ( I picture the Russian Imperial troops doing so in 1917) saying “ Hell no, we won’t go!”
Hi Shawn,
If I may, I would like to make a more moderate follow-on to my original “shock and awe” comment.
I think that attenuation strategies are very useful. But there must be balance. In our house, my spouse and two boys are actually working. My daughter is in forced withdrawal from university. I think that everybody who can work (in a reasonable, not perfect, environment) should be doing so.
It is all about what “essential” services are. We absolutely need full shipping services. But truckers are complaining they have no where to stop. The city of Toronto says their mechanics are “essential”, but what happens when they are lacking parts and tools ?
Food doesn’t really come from grocery stores, and gas does not really come from gas stations.
So I say, take a one-shift shop, and turn it into three shifts to lower the density. Heck. Put your workers in a quarantined dormitory if you have too (with payment of special bonuses). A lot of flexibility can be found among the young and unattached.
The idea would be a rational balance of mitigation and maximum functioning economy. A thousand bucks today is good, but what about next month ? And in the end, how many will never go back ? We can’t afford to encourage sloth among the active generation.
Idle questions, right ?
Best,
Gordon Friesen, Montreal
http://www.euthanasiediscussion.net/
The government is now wide awake and wide eyed…it should “ concentrate the mind wonderfully” as Sam Johnson put it.
There is not much of a mind to concentrate in a cabinet chosen by genitalia and genital orientation.
Time for the Feds to create a wartime cabinet much like Churchill’s “ war ministry” composed of the best minds in parliament / senate no matter of what political party.
Churchill managed with 9…Justin’s present cabinet is 31 with power concentrated in the Office of the Prime Minister ( PMO) which should be abolished as being too partisan.
Time to clear the decks for war.