A couple of days ago, we learned that Ottawa will ban all unvaccinated people from leaving Canada:
In French from Radio-Canada:
https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/1830094/avion-trudeau-covid-canada-interdiction-voyage).
Google Translate of the above link:
Is there any move that is, apparently at least, more useless and tyrannical at the same time as this one? Is it mere political virtual signalling while also trapping some Canadians in… and, as the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms wrote in its statement, also banning them from earning a living?
Many thanks the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms for speaking out against this measure. Same for Mr. Maxime Bernier in his a recent tweet. Sadly, our official opposition is still silent. Why?
When Bambi shared this decision by Canada with her mother on the phone, her smart 81-year-old mom immediately said: “But why since all the countries of the world already have restrictive rules to enter them” :)?
Take for example France (https://montreal.consulfrance.org/COVID-19-Information-on-measures-upon-arrival-in-France#If-you-are-not-vaccinated):
If you are not vaccinated
A list of countries of departure has been drawn up on the basis of the health indicators. The lists of countries can be altered based on changes in the epidemic situation.
Specific rules apply to road hauliers.
If you are not vaccinated and you arrive from a “green” country
Upon boarding, each traveller aged 12 and over must present a negative PCR or antigenic test taken less than 72 hours before the flight. If you are travelling from Cyprus, Greece, Spain, the Netherlands or Portugal, your test must be taken less than 24 hours before the flight.
If you have previously contracted COVID-19, instead of a negative test result you may present a certificate of recovery dated more than 11 days and less than 6 months prior to the date of arrival. A certificate of recovery is a document issued to persons who have contracted COVID-19, upon presentation of a positive RT-PCR or antigenic test.
This will not apply to:
- trips by residents of cross-border areas (border within a 30 km radius of your residence, and for a duration of less than 24 hours).
- work-related trips, the urgent or frequent nature of which makes them incompatible with these tests;
- trips by hauliers carrying out their work.
To avail of the exemptions above, you must have a document proving the reasons for your trip.
So, Mr. Trudeau et al., when you were supposed to close our borders at the start of the pandemic to protect us, you were TOO slow that the Governments of Nova Scotia (Liberals, at the time, like your own red colour) and Québec went into their airports to do the job that the federal did not do. In Montreal, even Mayor Valérie Plant and staff helped with this (Bambi has older posts on this topic).
Plus, Canadians have been accused, by you, to be discriminating against Asian-Canadians simply for asking to limit airplanes from China, as it was A HOT spot. As shown in older posts on this blog, the citizens of Lebanon also asked their (Iran-leaning) government to do something with airplanes from Iran as it was a coronavirus hot spot.
Was it the fault of the Iranian or Chinese population if that was the case? Of course, not! Mind you, you appeared more compassionate back then than what you seem to be now with some of your own people, the unvaccinated. Yes, we are in a much better place now than two years ago when we did not know much about this coronavirus/Covid-19 new illness) and we did not have vaccines.
The irony, back then, was that tiny Lebanon (which is like an Iranian colony, via the Hezbollah) ended up acting FASTER than Canada at the Beirut airport (Bambi has earlier posts on the topic). Bambi is saying so and she is surely not defending any corrupt Lebanese politician. At least, public-health wise, this country showed competence and transparency, as much as realistically possible (despite any error, inconsistency, despite the widespread corruption, and the multiple crises).
Anyhow, we now have vaccines, Mr Trudeau et al. (the “et al.” includes the whole team). Plus, despite outbreaks here and there, the pandemic is slowing down/stabilizing everywhere (right now at least), including Canada (even Dr. Tam, from our federal government, told us so lately. Plus Bambi has a post on the topic).
So why are our politicians behaving in such an authoritarian way? Is it because some people are too afraid and they are appealing to them? Or are they too sure of themselves when it comes to generating ideas? And/Or are they lacking an effective political opposition or at least questioning?
The questions above were more about our federal government, but look at another worrisome example. This time coming from the Government of Saskatchewan. Thanks to Journalist Ezra Levant for sharing the information… Bambi could not help not to think of what she learned just yesterday from one of the readers of this blog: “ The first province in Canada to legislate civil rights was Saskatchewan with its Bill of Rights passed in April 1947. It was Canada’s first general law prohibiting discrimination.” Does pandemic-related fear justify how this provincial government, among the world leaders in Charters protecting civil rights, is now encouraging its citizens to report each other, individuals and small businesses? Isn’t this too much?
Why is Canada turning into such an authoritarian country in front of our eyes? When will these excesses stop? Or how will we economically and psychologically recover from their impact?
Why don’t we focus on fixing or better funding the healthcare system instead (this question also applies to NB, Québec, and all provinces)? When will the federal government also transfer the needed funds to them (without conditions, etc.)? Last but not least, how about working more on educating citizens about the protective value of vaccines? About the differences between them, etc.? And about the need/value of massive vaccination?
To come back to Ottawa’s travel decision, a question that begs itself has been raised by the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedom: When will all this stop? Will our federal government add to this measure booster 3, 4, etc.? And then what? And again, what?
If the above point becomes a reality (yak), what if citizens who are fully vaccinated (like MOST of the population now) do not wish to have boosters in the future, even if they are illegible to get them? Will they be prevented from leaving Canada? Who knows? Mr. Trudeau himself may perhaps be one of them? Will he be stuck inside the country :)? Or the latter is not a good example since he is above rules and ethics (Bambi has older posts on the topic)?
Finally, to conclude this post, if we do not want to leave the country for whatever reason, should we now just refuse to be vaccinated :)? Bambi may seem to be joking. However, it is a serious question. As a reader, what are your thoughts… if we are still allowed to think, even in a pandemic?
