Canada

Wednesday May 6, 2021

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday May 6, 2021

NACI is right about AstraZeneca. It shouldn’t be ‘unsettling’ to trust the public with uncomfortable information

The National Advisory Committee on Immunization is being pilloried for asserting that, while taking the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccine is still generally a good idea, their higher risk for blood clots means that certain Canadians would be better served by waiting for a Pfizer or Moderna vaccine.

December 11, 2020

Despite high-level accusations that the message is “misleading” or even “dangerous,” NACI is right: Different vaccines obviously carry different risks, and it would be irresponsible not to weigh those risks against the risk of contracting COVID-19. The only reason NACI’s messaging sounds “mixed” or “unsettling” is because Canadian public health authorities have spent this pandemic strenuously avoiding nuance or even the basic notion that the public can be trusted with uncomfortable information.

The controversy began over NACI’s latest vaccine recommendations saying that they “preferentially recommend” mRNA vaccines such as the Pfizer and Moderna shots. NACI drew the distinction because of emerging data showing that, in rare instances, viral vector vaccines such as AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson can potentially pose a risk of blood clots. On Tuesday night, for instance, Alberta confirmed the death of a woman in her 50s due to complications from the AstraZeneca vaccine.

For most Canadians, the life-saving benefits of COVID immunity clearly outstrip any blood clotting risks posed by a viral vector shot. Nevertheless, while NACI said that Canada should continue to roll out as many vaccines as quickly as possible, there may be instances, particularly among young people, in which it’s preferable to sit out the immediate prospect of an AstraZeneca shot in favour of a Pfizer shot down the road.

January 30, 2021

“NACI cautions that in age groups younger than 30 years of age, the benefit of offering a viral vector COVID-19 vaccine instead of waiting for an mRNA vaccine is not a certainty, especially in areas of very low COVID-19 activity,” reads the new recommendations, which also say that “an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine should be preferentially offered to individuals” over 30 unless they prefer to get vaccinated earlier.

David Naylor, a co-chair of the COVID-19 Immunity Task Force, told CBC on Tuesday morning that it was an “unsettling” message because it “suggests that you got the second-best vaccine.” Infectious disease specialist Abdu Sharkawy tweeted that it was “dangerous” to imply “vaccine superiority.”

While many public health agencies have been free to take a single-minded focus on COVID-19 prevention to the exclusion of other health considerations, NACI’s mission has always been to maximize the benefits of immunization while weighing its potential harms. In NACI’s own words, their mission is to assess “how best to use authorized vaccines to achieve the greatest public health benefits.”

March 31, 2021

Over the last 13 months, Canada has gotten used to public health authorities prescribing blunt pandemic restrictions with little to no explanation as to why. Seldom has a chief medical officer ever gone on TV to explain the latest science on outdoor transmission and then asked their citizens to decide for themselves if a BBQ with friends is worth the risk.

NACI’s approach is different. Rather than follow Ottawa’s line to “take whatever vaccine is offered to you first”, they told the truth: Despite mass immunization being the single most effective way to save lives and end this pandemic, it doesn’t mean every AstraZeneca shot is a good idea.

In saying this, NACI didn’t issue an unequivocal “yay” or “nay” on the safety of AstraZeneca, they instead drafted a detailed risk-assessment to allow the public to figure out for themselves if AstraZeneca now is preferable to Pfizer later. You’re middle-aged and living in a hard-hit area with overwhelmed hospitals? Take the shot. You’re 21, living in Prince Edward Island and you barely leave the house? It might be worth waiting for Pfizer or Moderna.

December 1, 2020

NACI is certainly not an antivax organization. The group is composed of volunteer medical experts who have spent decades studying effective immunization. It was NACI who was instrumental in recommending the four-month gap between vaccine doses that has allowed Canada to maximize its limited supply and significantly push forward the national timeline towards herd immunity.

In a pandemic that has repeatedly seen politicians urge the public to “listen to the science,” NACI is the Platonic ideal of career scientists making recommendations without worrying about political narratives.

And yet, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is now openly telling Canadians to ignore the NACI recommendation and take the first shot they are offered.

New Brunswick education minister Dominic Cardy took it a step farther, telling his constituents Tuesday to “ignore NACI, ignore anti-masker, ignore the people undermining the faith in science.” (National Post) 

 

Wednesday May 5, 2021

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday May 5, 2021

Being Jason Kenney is the worst job in politics today

May 26, 2006

As former Alberta premier Ralph Klein used to say, the secret to being a successful politician is to figure out which way the parade is going and jump in front of it.

So spare some pity for current Premier Jason Kenney as he tries to straddle two marching bands of public opinion, which are on a nasty collision course over his handling of the pandemic.

In short, Kenney is failing spectacularly in every direction he’s turned – and the result has been the fastest infection surge anywhere in North America coupled with Canada’s loudest public revolt against overdue restrictions to curb the outbreak.

It’s a uniquely tricky business bordering on mission impossible to govern Alberta even in good times, where voters are happiest with the least amount of government in their lives.

As one rural MLA noted many years ago, “My folks think that painting a yellow stripe down the middle of the highway is too much government interference.”

But mix an oil industry meltdown with enterprise-killing lockdowns and hospitals near the breaking point and you create the perfect storm of angry opposition.

January 26, 2021

Closing down businesses, schools and rodeos has sparked outrage and defiance in rural areas, where COVID-19 is not spreading as quickly.

But by heeding the cries of the United Conservative Party’s rural base to go slow on restrictions, the Kenney government has infuriated cities where soaring third-wave infection rates are swamping intensive care units.

Kenney’s challenge has been complicated by an internal revolt of his own MLAs, some still smarting from the absorption of the Wild Rose Party to create the United Progress Conservatives, who have taken a very public stand against restrictions they deem excessive.

During a long news conference on Wednesday, a weary-eyed Kenney shrugged off the internal dissent as merely a welcome exercise in democratic debate.

Sorry, but attacking public health measures designed to save lives is not up for debate and Kenney really needs to send a no-nonsense signal this is not tolerated with a mutineer expulsion or two. (CTV) 

 

Saturday May 1, 2021

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday May 1, 2021

‘My recommendations will be implemented’: Louise Arbour prepares to review misconduct in Canada’s military

When faced with the idea of conducting an external review on sexual misconduct in the military — six years after a similar review was completed — retired Supreme Court justice Louise Arbour said her initial impression was: “Seriously? It’s been done.” 

Upon reflection, Arbour said she saw an environment in which she could make a lasting contribution, having been given a broader mandate from the federal government than the one handed to retired Supreme Court justice Marie Deschamps when she conducted a similar review. 

“I have been given assurances that my recommendations will be implemented,” a point Arbour returned to several times in an interview with the Star on Friday, while acknowledging that “you might think it’s a bit naïve” considering the military’s response so far to the Deschamps review. 

“Six years after the Deschamps report, I think there’s better hope this time that something will come of this…If I was profoundly skeptical and cynical, I wouldn’t be doing this. I really have to believe that there is a window of opportunity.”

Arbour’s external review, announced Thursday by Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan, was immediately blasted by critics as a deflection tactic by a government and military that have failed to fully implement Deschamps’s recommendations. 

The Conservatives said it was meant to take attention away from ongoing questions about the government’s handling of an allegation against ex-chief of the defence staff Gen. Jonathan Vance in 2018.

Deschamps — who concluded in 2015 that sexual misconduct is “endemic” in the military — told the Star she welcomed Arbour’s appointment, noting her broader mandate and that her review “would not be a mere repetition of what I did.” 

A former justice on the country’s top court, UN high commissioner for human rights, and chief prosecutor at the international criminal tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, Arbour brings a deep knowledge of human rights issues to her new task.

“Maybe the most important part of (Deschamps’s) work was the diagnosis,” Arbour said. “It was really earth shattering, the assessment of the prevalence of this predatory, sexualized culture.” 

Arbour said she understands the frustration of survivors of military sexual violence, both those who have come forward, as well as those who never have due to lack of trust in the system.

“I understand their frustration and possibly their skepticism, about just another review by another justice. I get that,” she said. “I really want to say: Just bear with me. I think moving forward, this might be the right time for the right thing to get done.” 

Unlike Deschamps’s mandate, Arbour has been instructed to come up with recommendations on what external oversight of the armed forces should look like. She will also be studying the military justice system’s “systemic performance” in dealing with sexual misconduct allegations, as well as recruitment and promotion to senior leadership. (Toronto Star) 

 

Friday April 30, 2021

April 30, 2021

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday April 30, 2021

Cabinet’s ability to award Buy American exemptions ‘strenuously limited,’ Biden says

President Joe Biden set some Canadian pulses racing again Wednesday with more tough Buy American talk, telling Congress he has “strenuously limited” cabinet members from granting exemptions to the 88-year-old protectionist doctrine. 

February 23, 2021

In the same breath, however, the speech marking Biden’s first 100 days as commander-in-chief offered a measure of comfort by suggesting Buy American would not offend the terms of trade deals like the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement. 

“American tax dollars are going to be used to buy American products, made in America, to create American jobs. That’s the way it’s supposed to be, and it will be in this administration,” Biden declared. 

The notion of keeping U.S. government spending on American soil, a philosophy that dates back to 1933, will be the “one principle” guiding the $2.2-trillion infrastructure package dubbed the American Jobs Plan, he added. 

“I might note, parenthetically, that does not violate any trade agreement. It’s been the law since the ’30s,” Biden said through sustained applause in the House chamber, where COVID-19 allowed only a relative handful of lawmakers to attend. 

September 17, 2020

“I’ve made it clear to all my cabinet people: their ability to give exemptions has been strenuously limited. It will be American products.”

Much of what Biden said on the subject, including mention of trade agreements and cabinet members, did not appear in the prepared version of his remarks distributed to reporters before the speech. 

And it offered little solace or clarity for Canadian stakeholders still smarting from the punishing steel and aluminum tariffs imposed by Biden’s stridently protectionist predecessor, Donald Trump. 

“Those policies continue to concern us — ‘Made in America’ failed to embrace the integrated nature that we have in the steel business,” said Catherine Cobden, head of the Canadian Steel Producers Association. 

“Protectionism between neighbours and allies hurts everyone. We’re really hopeful that that’s not the way this plays out.”

The picture is likely to become more clear by midsummer, when an internal review of the existing rules — including how domestic content is defined and whether information and communication technology should be covered — is due. (Canadian Press) 

 

Thursday April 29, 2021

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday April 29, 2021

Ontario details plan for 3 paid sick days after a year of mounting pressure

April 23, 2021

After months of urgent calls about the need for paid sick leave by medical professionals, labour advocates, political leaders and even top doctors from some of the province’s hardest-hit regions, the Ontario government has announced a plan to provide three paid sick days through a temporary program ending in September.

The proposed Ontario COVID-19 Worker Protection Benefit Program would pay up to $200 per day for workers who are sick, have symptoms, have a mental health issue or need to be vaccinated, and will be retroactive to April 19. The sick days would not need to be taken consecutively and no sick note is required.

If the legislation is passed, the program will be administered through the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board and employers will be reimbursed in full, the province says.

April 16, 2020

Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Ontario Labour Minister Monte McNaughton also said the province has offered to provide funding to the federal government to double the Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit payments, adding an additional $500 per week to eligible individuals, for a total of $1,000 per week.

Ottawa earlier this week rejected an offer by the province to top up the program, saying the federal benefit is designed to support workers who don’t have a regular employer, or as a stop gap until their province mandates paid sick days.

Last week, Premier Doug Ford pledged that Ontario would soon unveil details of a paid sick leave program, claiming it would be “the best program anywhere in North America, bar none.”

But as reported by CBC News, the Ford government initially sought to top up the federal program, rather than create its own. On the same day as Ford’s emotional news conference, Ontario’s finance minister wrote a letter to the federal government proposing to top up Canada’s sick leave benefit. 

October 8, 2020

Critics have long pointed out the federal benefit pays less than a full-time minimum wage job, involves days, if not weeks, of processing time and doesn’t guarantee job security for workers who use it.

The cost of the proposal announced today was not included in the provincial budget, unveiled in March.

Unlike Quebec and Prince Edward Island, where sick days are in place permanently, Ontario’s proposed program ends in just five months. The province has has passed legislation that protects workers’ jobs if they can’t work due to a COVID-19 diagnosis. (CBC)

Letters to the editor –  The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday May 1, 2021

Blame Trudeau, not Ford

I have to say I was aghast at the editorial cartoon of Doug Ford being whipped. It is no secret that The Spec is no fan of Mr. Ford, however to publish him being whipped and the prime minister watching is way over the line of decency and respect. Has he made mistakes, of course, some big ones, however keep in mind it is the prime minster, who you show sitting eating popcorn, who is ultimately responsible for this mess, due to poor vaccine procurement. There is enough blame to go around these days. I fail to see what this piece of work does to move anything forward.

Robert Hague, Burlington

Outraged at cartoon

I usually enjoy Mr. MacKay’s editorial cartoons, although he can push the envelope at times.

But I must profess my outrage at Thursday’s depiction of the premier of Ontario being publicly flogged. We are constantly preaching about being against violence and hate in our province but here is a depiction of an act of torture aimed at the leader of the province. People may or may not like Doug Ford and have their own opinions but this is going too far!

Rick Allen, Hamilton Mountain

Trudeau didn’t belong there

This cartoon was spot on about Ford. But putting Trudeau in was unfair. Dealing with employers is provincial jurisdiction and it’s Ford’s problem to solve, not Trudeau’s.

Sarah Mueller, Burlington