Month: March 2020

These words came out of the mouth of Mr. François Legault whose team has been doing an outstanding job from day 1 to try to contain the pandemic in Québec.

Bambi will say the exact same about his other provincial counterpart’s, including us here in NB and our neighbouring provinces.

For instance, PEI is testing at the entrance of the Confederation bridge and NS did not hesitate to send its public health staff to its airport (a federal jurisdiction) to do the job of the feds. Now, this province has erected a checkpoint to control the entry to its border with NB and the rest of Canada (with exceptions, including healthcare workers, police officers, and cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy):

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/checkpoints-covid-19-borders-public-health-nova-scotia-1.5506621

In our province, everyone is working in collaboration: Current government (with the opposition in the same COVID-19 committee) and First nations. Furthermore, Bambi checked our Liberal MP’s twitter, Mr. Dominic Leblanc, and it is full of helpful tweets from both federal and provincial sources. Thanks to everyone!

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/roundup-covid-19-coronavirus-1.5507804

To come back to Québec, the situation is worrisome like in Ontario and BC, along with other provinces like Alberta. “We have to have enough equipment for the forthcoming weeks to be able to test more, “said Mr. Legault on Tuesday:

https://www.journaldequebec.com/2020/03/24/en-directcovid-19-francois-legault-fait-le-point-sur-la-pandemie-au-quebec

Is Mr. Trudeau listening?

According to Bambi’s personal opinion, this issue is much more pressing then funding research to find a vaccine, test devices, and/or especially to fund express research, evaluating discrimination/racism in the middle of a pandemic: One of the funded studies by a researcher from York University (about $500K) is examining “discrimination and Sinophobia (anti-Chinese sentiment) due to COVID-19 disease (formally 2019-nCoV)”.

https://www.canada.ca/en/institutes-health-research/news/2020/03/government-of-canada-invests-27m-in-coronavirus-research–details-of-the-funded-projects.html

Is the above the priority in a deadly pandemic in its early stages? This is important work but, it would be perhaps more logical to have it conducted at the end of an imminently potential tragedy, may God forbid (if we look at what happened elsewhere, including our neighbours in the South). We will need every penny to fight this virus!

Italy’s North is known as having one of the best medical systems in the world and yet it dived into hell! Are our Canada’s healthcare systems, and is Canada’s federal government, able to handle a pandemic?

Only continuous collective efforts and… time will tell.

So far, according to Bambi’s own observations and thoughts, our provinces keep on doing better than our federal government, despite its improvement.

Here is the WHO’s warning about coronavirus outbreak on February 8 ,2020:

https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/transcripts/who-broll-emergencies-coronavirus-press-conference-full-08feb2020-final.pdf?sfvrsn=bc93c6b5_2

On page 2, we can read: ” On the new coronavirus, here are the latest figures. As of earlier today, there were 34,598 confirmed cases in China and 723 deaths. Outside China, there were 288 cases in 24 countries with one death”.

As you can see below, on February, 9, 2020 (the next day!), Canada sent 16 tones of personal protective equipment to China.

“News release

February 9, 2020 – Ottawa, Ontario – Global Affairs Canada

Canada is working with its partners and international organizations to control the spread of the novel coronavirus. This is vital to helping those affected and protecting the health and safety of people around the world.

To support China’s ongoing response to the outbreak, Canada has deployed approximately 16 tonnes of personal protective equipment, such as clothing, face shields, masks, goggles and gloves to the country since February 4, 2020. 

This equipment has been provided in collaboration with the Canadian Red Cross and the Red Cross Society of China.”

The above is taken from the federal government’s (Global Affairs) website:

https://www.canada.ca/en/global-affairs/news/2020/02/canada-supports-chinas-ongoing-response-to-novel-coronavirus-outbreak.html

Bambi is not saying that we should not help other in life. We should support each other, yes, BUT to do it at our own expenses, this may be a bit foolish.

Is this why Ontario is already lacking such equipment now?

Ontario health officials sound alarm over impending shortage of masks, protective gear

Here is the CBC article about our Minister of Health’s ideas concerning travellers. It is entitled “Hajdu looking at criminal penalties for travellers who disobey quarantine advice”: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trudeau-house-returns-1.5506049

Here is a scene of kissing and hugging at a Canadian airport, precisely between 0.39-0.43 minutes (returning dad with spouse and young kids):

https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1714406467859

Here are the instructions of Canada for its citizens returning home:

https://travel.gc.ca/travelling/health-safety/travel-health-notices/221

Some Canadian citizens’ cultural habits are into touching and kissing more than other cultures (Bambi knows what she is talking about here ?).

Some travellers may be too taken by happy emotions of being re-connected with their loved ones. At the same time, they could also be too jet-lagged to the point of forgetting about the coronavirus pandemic at their immediate arrival?  

Some people may be more careless or less disciplined than others?

Others may be more rebellious or they could still be in denial.

Some may also tend to put too much trust in God without helping God’s will with their own health behaviours?

Perhaps some travellers need to have public health instructions repeated to them on airplanes or by agents on the ground or… consider monitoring at airports?

To conclude this post on a note of wisdom, about a week ago, Bambi’s dad told his daughter on the phone to be mindful: “Coronavirus is not a joke. It is a pandemic. It requires a new mindset. From now on, please consider EVERY person you meet as carrying the virus AND consider yourself as carrying the virus”. She appreciates her dad’s smart words, which are resonating in her, even if she is not a person at high risk, given her age, health, or risky profession like healthcare providers.

Talking about our healthcare providers, THANKS to all of you. Please be SAFE!

First, here is a video showing the Lebanese army’s helicopters flying all over the country with messages reminding people to stay at home for their safety AND for the safety of others. It also reminded them of the legal measures that would be taken against violators. Fines can reach up to LL100,000 (about CAD$100) and even up to 3 months in jail. Good to know, as enough carelessness by some is enough.

Second, bravo to the generosity of the Lebanese people in the middle of their double crisis, financial/economic and now this pandemic. Of note, they participated in an MTV telethon raising about CAD $24K in just one show.

Despite the concern, it is reassuring to see a great team effort among the governmental authorities (doing an excellent job, despite an initial delay), the Lebanese Red cross (i.e., well trained to respond to pandemics), private health entities (hospitals and their labs) in coordination with the UNRWA (for the Palestinian refugees), and even if Bambi did not read it about it, likely/hopefully with other instances of the UN (for the Syrian refugees), and in collaboration with the VAST majority of the citizens (sadly, a tiny minority of individuals seems to insist to defy viruses and death).

As the Lebanese Interior Minister said yesterday in all honesty: “may God help us NOW (things are are starting to get out of control) and help us especially in the days ahead (the scary unknown)”.

A baby was delivered yesterday in the COVID-19 emergency room by C-section. Sadly, a Lebanese traveller died yesterday in Ghana (just like Canada lost a citizen in Japan due to COVID-19’s complications). If the data are accurate, this unlucky man would be the first or second case in this African country: https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html).

To begin with, here is Dr. Steven Hoffman:

https://cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/50614.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Elliott_Trudeau_Foundation

Here is the publication mentioned in the interview below:

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30373-1/fulltext#%20

According to Bambi, and with all due respect to Dr. Hoffman, this interview is making RT (which she is not very fond of) looks more reasonable :):

https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/trudeau-not-declaring-national-state-of-emergency-for-covid-19-yet-1.4862715

In the interview above, precisely between 6:31-7:25 minutes, we hear Mr. Trudeau lecturing us about racism in the middle of a “tsunami” of a pandemic of a small, yet mean, virus already progressing in Canada.

Mr. Trudeau, your government finally moved and took good decisions and measures. A bit too late but at least it is done now. Thank you!

Why did you feel the need to add irrelevant comments? What you said is contrary to evolutionary survival. It was a turn off for Bambi.

What a contrast between your press conference and your provincial counterparts’. They talk about facts and curves, about preparedness and prevention. They reassure. They don’t guilt.

Why do you feel the need to always show us how much of a good boy you are? Just walk the walk of goodness. No need to talk about it. Sometimes silence is more precious.

As far as your people are concerned, they are MAINLY worried about the virus, that same stressor across the world, as you know. Related to it, they are concerned about their safety, their health, the availability or access to food and medication, their jobs, their money, their loved ones, patients, clients, students, pets, toilet papers even… before racism.

Please let Canadians care about their OWN survival and others’ well-being. Period.   

This question is based on this MTV report (Arabic content):

https://www.mtv.com.lb/en/programs/prime_time_news/2020/videos/21_mar_2020/

Lebanon called the army for help with staging patrols and erecting checkpoints on the roads in order to enforce people’s adherence to the taken measures. Violators will be prosecuted.

Of note, in Jordan, the government is imposing a severe fine, including a one-year-jail term.

To come back to Lebanon, a young child was infected with the coronavirus for the first time today, along with several healthcare providers related to this case, which did not present the usual symptoms of COVID-19. These healthcare providers are now quarantined.

Why do careless citizens insist on moving on with their lives, as if it were business as usual? For instance, according to MTV, in one neighborhood of Beirut, a couple got married today whilst other citizens were observed socializing or selling fruits/vegetables, without any protective measures!

All this happened whilst the (four) deceased patients were buried without funerals, as per this article by l’Orient Le Jour: https://www.lorientlejour.com/article/1211421/-chacun-a-pleure-seul-dans-son-coin-les-funerailles-au-temps-du-coronavirus.html

Of course, this is hard for the families’ grieving process (Bambi’s family went through a similar event during war when Beirut was besieged by the Syrian army).

First, here is Mr. Robitaille’s article (Journal of Montreal, March 21, 2020):

https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2020/03/21/la-pensee-de-trudeau-minee-par-la-covid-19-1

Second, here is the translation of the article in question. It is worth reading, as food for thought:

“Justin Trudeau who closes the borders of the Dominion, including the famous Roxham road.

If we needed another proof that the world is changing with this damn virus, here is a spectacular change.

Trudeau really said yesterday: “People who arrive at the border irregularly will be returned [to] American authorities. Until the end of the crisis.

It seems so far away the time when the same Trudeau wrote on Twitter “To those fleeing persecution, terror and war, know that Canada will welcome you …” It was on January 28, 2017.

Let’s not look down on the underlying generosity here. The problem is its totally unrealistic aspect. At the time, Ottawa had, among other things, to ask Haitian-born MP Emmanuel Dubourg to explain to nationals of the West Indies in the United States that they would not automatically acquire citizenship in Canada.

Borderless

The current pandemic has weighed heavily on the philosophy of borderlessness, which is dear to Trudeau. The latter took centre stage with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the end of the USSR [Soviet Union] in 1991.

At the time, an American thinker, Francis Fukuyama, had developed the “end of history” thesis. There was no longer, he argued, an alternative model to liberal democracy and a market economy.

Other thinkers, like Kenichi Ohmae, proclaimed the end of the nation state. Free trade treaties and major commercial logics were now to supplant politics. The World Trade Organization would soon govern.

Since then, several events have given a rather significant denial to these ideas. The “alterglobalization” movement, with its major demonstrations: Seattle (1999), Québec (2001).

The State

After September 11, 2001, Fukuyama, again, concluded that the story would restart. Against libertarian thinkers, who globally reject the state, he rightly pointed out that this entity which taxes “citizens and uses this money in the collective interest” had forgotten virtues in the borderless era.

“It is only the state and the state that can be counted on to send firefighters to burning buildings or to fight terrorism, or to control passengers at airports. Not on the market or on individuals. The same can be said in 2020 of the fight that each nation state is currently waging against COVID-19.

Countries cannot be “hotels” where you enter and exit as you please, according to the beloved image of writer Yann Martel when describing Canada. Image taken over in 2016 by Justin Trudeau’s post-national thinking. If only to organize the redistribution of wealth, the nation state must realistically have a closed aspect.

Borderlessness is currently being replaced by “stay home!”, as noted by author Sylvain Tesson in an interview with Le Figaro yesterday. However, “staying at home does not mean hating your neighbour. The walls are protective membranes, not just hostile armour. They are pierced with doors, you can choose to open or close them.”

Kind of like Roxham Road.”