With regard to the Covid-19 vaccination, Canada is lagging behind MANY countries like Israel, the United Arab Emirates, the UK, the USA, even the heavily bureaucratic European Union, etc.
Our mainstream media (especially the CBC), an extension of our government, tends to ignore (= hide) such information.
Of course, there are supply-chain and other logistical obstacles worldwide (well explained in the Gravitas video below). Bambi still wants to trust that our government officials have been working HARD to secure vaccines since the earliest days of the pandemic.
Yes, Mr. Trudeau may have made the mistake of putting too much faith in China (all his eggs in the same basket), but luckily, he did well by trying to secure vaccines from more than one company since then.
More recently, Mr. Trudeau approached Mr. Modi, the PM of India to ask for help. More vaccines will arrive to us from India within a month. Sadly, Mr. Trudeau’s good move came after having made a diplomatic faux pas with India by interfering in its conflict with its farmers. Mind you, he was on the same page as Mr. Greta Thunberg ? on this one (or at least with those who manipulate her… or her Twitter account).
Anyhow, Mr. Trudeau finally woke up. He came to his diplomatic wisdom. It is nice to see him putting his Canadian fellow citizens’ public safety first (thank you). To appear more genuinely caring to us, it would be perhaps wise to also put aside any arrogance about our country’s performance. We can refrain from giving lessons to the world, especially when Canada seems like the third world of the developed countries.
Related to our domestic affairs, it would be perhaps also helpful if our federal government does not put blame on the provinces and territories… at least in the media. Of course, it is great to see our federal government strategizing the scaling up process with the provinces/territories. Sadly, it is once again a delayed response (but it is never too late). In this crisis and in former ones, Bambi has the impression sometimes that whenever the Feds seem to be stuck or paralyzed by inaction (Trudeau’s typical reaction when overwhelmed), they rely on their best brains, namely Mr. Dominic Leblanc. So, thanks to him for his latest intervention about the vaccines ((https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/feds-meeting-with-provinces-to-strategize-on-scaling-up-domestic-vaccine-capacity-leblanc-1.530731).
Let’s be clear here. Bambi’s issue is not about all the above. Bambi is specifically upset about the use of identity politics to hide the inefficiency thus far. Indeed, instead of using a scientifically-based approach to determine our priority target groups of first vaccination (strictly based on health-related needs), we now seem to be relying on political calculations (ahead of elections? Or out of conviction?). We read about target groups like indigenous people. Why? Is there a logic like remoteness? Age? High comorbidity like obesity or diabetes mellitus, etc.? We also hear about black Canadians. Why? As part of an-at-risk group like healthcare providers or other? For instance, knowing that healthcare providers are the first target group because they are at an increased risk of being exposed to the coronavirus. We need to protect them first as they take care of us. Another target group are perhaps senior citizens. Maybe first those in nursing homes and then those living in their community (some being more remote than others or far from vaccine centres, etc.). Yes, we also think of other vulnerable groups like taxi drivers/bus drivers or the senior inmates or the inmates with underlying health conditions (then the rest of inmates, etc.), etc.
Well, instead of this, we are reading about “black Canadians” or “Indigenous people” or BIPOCS (the silly acronym meaning Black, Indigenous, or People—or deer–of colour ?), etc. If we focus on healthcare providers in a cosmopolitan city like Toronto, chances are they would resemble their city in their diversity. Who cares about their skin colour or where their grand-parents are buried or their religion, etc. We care to protect them ALL. So for sure, the strategy will be naturally equitable then. Same for cab drivers, even those from recent or older immigration in Toronto or Montreal (mind you, in Montreal, chances are they would be of Lebanese or Haitian origins). In contrast, in Sackville, NB, our dear taxi drivers would likely be from the local community (some from other Canadian cities). This means non-immigrants or to use the fancy awful language of our time: non-BIPOC or non-people of colour or non-blacks or… plain boring white in the mind of the woke radicals who are obsessed with race (e.g., Toronto has a task force of black scientists on vaccine equity, imagine: https://www.toronto.ca/news/black-scientists-task-force-on-vaccine-equity/).
https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thehouse/racialized-canadians-vaccine-priority-1.5911952
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/indigenous-vaccinations-priority-marc-miller-1.5889826
In other terms, why are we playing a “racial” game now? Bambi even read articles that seem to play the “religious” card (making an analogy with the UK). Well, thus far thankfully, even Lebanon did not seem to fall for this silly trap of identity politics, despite the legitimate concerns of citizens about any cheating about the roll out of the vaccination (e.g., corrupt politicians or connected/richer people, etc.).
To conclude this post, why can’t Canada just focus on target groups truly based on the science and not on identity politics. Eventually, when more vaccine are administered and if depending on new data about the safety of vaccines or the coronavirus mutation, we can perhaps consider adding other target groups vaccine (e.g. pregnant women as their immune system is compromised, etc.).
