Chris Selley: Immunization policy is more complicated than many Canadians seem to think
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The restriction of fundamental civil liberties is radioactive across the political spectrum – and that’s a good thing
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In an interview with CBC News on Wednesday evening, Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath ended – briefly – weeks of gossip and clearly opposed mandatory vaccination of education workers: ” Unlike (Liberal Leader Steven) Del Duca, I don’t take people’s charter rights lightly, âshe said – Del Duca recently speaking out in favor of compulsory vaccination for workers in the workplace. front-line health and education; and vaccination passports for ânon-essentialâ activities.
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Howls of protest ensued, including from NDP MP for Northern Ontario, Charlie Angus, who called his comments “silly.” The howlers won. Not only did Horwath apologize on Thursday (“I regret the comment. I was wrong”), and did an about-face (“I fully support compulsory vaccination in health care and education”), she s apologize for not having changed my mind earlier.
Judging by the comments on social media, many are sure they know how Horwath became a grinder: She flattered the teachers ‘and nurses’ unions, which generally oppose taxing just about anything. what to their members. It could be part of it. The Canadian Teachers’ Federation has explicitly opposed mandatory vaccination, for example. But the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario actually spoke in favor, as did the Canadian Medical Association and the Canadian Nurses Association this week.
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Many critics of Prime Ministers Doug Ford, Jason Kenney and Scott Moe are also sure they know exactly why they oppose mandatory vaccinations for key workers and national vaccine passports: they are trying to appease anti-vaccines and libertarians. extremists who inhabit the base of their parties.
Again, there could be something to this. There is no doubt that public opinion is strongly divided. Leger’s latest poll for the Association for Canadian Studies found that 72 percent of Ontarians and British Columbians were in favor of requiring “vaccine passports” to board a plane, and 75 percent of Canadians were in favor of requiring “vaccine passports” to board a plane. Atlantic, but only 50 percent of Albertans.
From a higher point of view, however, it is not that simple. BC’s NDP government âhasn’t ruled outâ mandatory vaccination for healthcare workers, but it hasn’t ruled out either. and Newfoundland and Labrador. But none of those provinces still require it in restaurants, for example. As the August 17 election nears, all three parties in Nova Scotia have ruled out mandatory vaccinations for all workers, Global News reported this week.
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Trudeau considers compulsory vaccination for all public servants
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The arguments for and against national vaccine passports
On Thursday, the Premier of Quebec, François Legault, announced that the provincial vaccination passport system would soon be activated. But vaccination is still not mandatory for healthcare workers, despite demands from opposition liberals.
âThere has to be an ethical consideration to this. People have the right to be vaccinated or not, âNova Scotia Liberal Leader Iain Rankin told Global News, echoing Horwath.
âThe idea of ââhome vaccination certificates to decide who can go to a concert or who can go to a particular restaurant⦠raises questions of equity, questions of fairness,â Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in March.
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Alberta NDP Leader Rachel Notley laments just about everything about Kenney’s performance, but she hasn’t offered mandatory immunizations or vaccine passports as an alternative.
It’s almost like something is happening here that transcends partisan affiliation and standard pimping, and I think I know what it is: like it or not – some even refuse to believe it – English Canada’s conception of the most basic civil liberties has more in common with the United States than with Europe, and even with our Anglospheric cousins.
Among the provinces, only Quebec has instituted a general curfew. Even the United States can beat it: State-wide curfews of varying severity existed in Ohio, North Carolina, California, and Arizona. Most, if not all, countries in Western and Eastern Europe had nationwide shutdowns, with the Scandinavian countries, Finland and Britain being rare exceptions.
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Last week, the Australian military mobilized in Sydney’s poorer, immigrant-rich western suburbs – enforcing door-to-door quarantine orders and demanding that people come out and prove they are not in. more than five kilometers from home. It is literally inconceivable in Canada. At first glance, 95 percent of Canadians who casually suggested âdo what Australia didâ would have been outraged if it had happened.
British police announced this week that they had arrested 11 people in connection with vile racist abuse targeting England footballers Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford after missing shots on goal in the European Cup final. It is not clear what the defendants allegedly said, but the law under which they are charged prohibits “grossly offensive” messages. The bar for criminal discourse in Canada is so much higher that the British would need binoculars to see it.
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I would choose vaccine passports over other general restrictions in the blink of an eye. But for at least 98 out of a hundred years, this lack of individual freedom is a very healthy instinct. While this has hampered Canada’s response to the pandemic, we can nonetheless say that we have suffered fewer cases than any comparable non-island country except Norway and Finland, and fewer deaths than the same ones. country plus Denmark.
On the government side, this is far from a performance worthy of a parade. Parts of the country (hello Ontario!) But it could have been so, so much worse – at least we could walk around after 6pm. We should understand why it wasn’t worse, and at least be somewhat grateful for it.
⢠Email: [email protected] | Twitter: cselley
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