Below, Bambi feels the urge to comment on the above
article.
To begin with, bravo and congratulations to Reverend John for his new position in Ottawa! Well, Bambi is happy for Canada’s capital to have him… even if we are losing him to it.
Likely like so many Sackvillians, older and younger ones, Bambi has mixed feelings: On one hand, she is thrilled for Reverend John and his family for their move (post-pandemic, of course). On the other hand, she feels sad to know that he (+ Dodie, her building’s neighbour ?) will be leaving our town and campus.
Bambi considers herself honoured to have met Reverend John in her life.
Actually, her favourite spot on Mount Allison University’s campus is its beautiful chapel. She often visits it, spends time silently sitting in it, either contemplating or praying.
One day, she came in to pray for her dad. After she finished doing so, she opened her eyes, In front of her was the chapel’s stained glass with its cross. At the exact same time she did open her eyes, the sun shined again (it was a very dark winter day). Well, the sunshine’s rays illuminated that beautiful stained glass, shining through the cross. Symbolically, this beautiful scene was like a message of hope for Bambi (at least, she took it that way). Well, thankfully, her dad has been doing well ever since, despite ups and downs. That was about 10-11 years ago, following a diagnosis of lung cancer.
Anyhow, a couple of times after that incident, Bambi bumped into Reverend John at that chapel. Even with her eyes closed, she could sense that he was stepping out of his office and the chapel. She may be wrong but she felt that he seemed to be walking on the tip of his toes, likely in order not to bother ?. What a man our Dear Reverend John… full of humanity!
This is why, in her mind, Bambi cannot conceive Mount A chapel without him.
For her, it was only logical to ask to consult him, with her spouse, when they had their first miscarriage (their three losses are like a reproductive pandemic to them, so to speak… Luckily, there is a happy life “post-pandemic”, even in the middle of a real covid-19 pandemic). Anyhow, to come back to Reverend John, he was there for them with his ears, heart, and soul.
Bambi recalls having had a funny conversation with one of her sisters at that time, asking her: “Why do you want to talk to a priest, I do not understand?”. One must say that her sister has always teased her in life by saying: “I am happy for you because you have an imaginary friend” (she means Jesus ?). Well, when Bambi described Reverend John to her, she immediately understood what type of man he was… the cream of humanity.
A year later, when she organized/moderated a community event in town on pregnancy losses (Louis, her spouse was one of two male speakers), Reverend John kindly showed up. Bambi will never ever forget his big hug at the end of that breakfast event (especially that during pandemics a friendly hug seems prehistoric).
On a different note, she now realizes that she has officially missed her chance of taking a course with Reverend John. He has been highly recommended by friends and Mount Allison University alumni, as being “the best teacher of the best course!”
The world is small… Who knows? Perhaps one day, if/when she will be in Ottawa, especially if she has enough time, she will try to visit Reverend John’s new church (she knows it and likes its architectural charm).
Until then, she will conclude this post by saying: Thank you Reverend John for all your inspiring academic contributions and support to students over three decades. You have celebrated weddings, funerals/memorials, and all sorts of beautiful Christian events. Not only that. You have turned your church into a mosque, a temple, a synagogue, and/or just into a cozy temporary home to non-believers. You have welcomed newcomers/refugees. You have cared for youth as well as seniors. Bambi has even fun/funny memories of a “laughter club” in the chapel’s basement (a great idea of Dr. Claxton-Oldfield ?).
Your open-mindedness knows no boundaries, Reverend John… Please keep on being whom you are whilst nurturing (and enjoying) your faith.
Be safe, you/Dodie et al. Enjoy your move and your new parish!
For Bambi, this article was moving to read for several reasons:
First, it describes how one of our best Canadian hospitals is operating in a pandemic, not so gloriously…
Second, we witness the tough journey of covid-19 hospitalized patients. Luckily,
some are healed. Others, many others, die.
Third, this disturbing yet beautiful story is about a resilient 77-year-old woman who finally chose to live. In doing so, morning after morning, she kept her focus on positive thinking/visualization of her loved ones, with the help of a talented psychologist! Good for her and her family, as she survived (a happy ending!).
Last but surely not least, the talented clinical psychologist featured in the
story is none other than Dr. Mirella De Civita, Bambi’s colleague and good friend
for over 26 years!
Mirella (or Dr. De Civita) is one of the most intelligent (brain/mind, heart, soul), compassionate, and yet humble clinicians you can ever meet. “Miraculous grandma” was truly blessed to have her “by her side” every morning… by phone whilst in a traumatizing quarantine.
Dr. Mirella De Civita
This being said, you can read the story of “Miraculous grandma”, as “told” to us by Ms. Elkouri. Thanks to the latter for sharing it:
“On her hospital bed, Jacqueline Henrie, 77, gasping for air, said, “I want medical aid in dying“.
With her chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, she did not expect to survive COVID-19. Her children also believed her to be doomed.
A week before her hospitalization, when she started having symptoms,
Jacqueline first thought it was related to her lung disease. She started taking the antibiotics already prescribed by her doctor.
Five days later, overcome by abnormal fatigue, unable to eat,
she consulted. She was put on a waiting list for a
COVID-19 test. She was told to call 911 if necessary.
She did so on the morning of March 21st after stating to have
trouble breathing.
Transported by ambulance to the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital, she
believed that evening that her hour had come. “I
was choking and was not able to catch my breath“.
That’s when she said to the nurse,
“I want to see the doctor. I want medical aid in
dying“.
“It will be alright,”
replied the nurse, smiling.
She felt like she was in a daze. Feverish, weak,
short of breath. “All I said to myself was: when
does death come? “
We sent her to a COVID-19 unit, which
appeared to be still in the organization. A negative
pressure room with no phone or bell to call for help. “Even
if we were shouting, we couldn’t hear us with the noise of the engines. The nurse on duty gave my neighbor who had a cell phone her personal
number so that she could be called if necessary. “
Madly worried, her son, Nicolas, left her grandson’s smartphone for her
at the entrance to the hospital so that they could talk to each other. A nurse
was kind enough to show her how to use FaceTime.
The news she gave her children live from her hospital bed was anything but
reassuring.
“I was completely disconnected from life. I was talking to the kids,
but it was like they weren’t my kids. However, I am an emotional, sensitive
person. But I felt nothing, nothing, nothing”. She was waiting for death.
After two days, Jacqueline was sent to another room, along with other patients
with covid-19. During the night, one of them died, and the room had to be
disinfected from top to bottom. “I was next door. I haven’t slept all
night. “
She was then transferred to a third bedroom, without a toilet or sink.
Dehydrated, she often had to beg the staff for water. “Once, it was the
cleaning lady who fetched me water. She encouraged us all the time”.
One of her roommates, who had mental health issues, used to vomit and answer
nature’s call on the floor. Between them, there was a simple curtain.
“A nurse said to me,”Watch her, because I don’t have time“.
“She cried five, six times a day. I was the one who had to watch her.
She fell twice. I was calling for help. It was taking time. I would say to
them, “But what if she was your mother?”
At times, the lady came to bed naked, in Jacqueline’s own bed, without
anyone intervening. In the bedroom, the smell was foul. The commodes with
excrement stayed there for hours. It was impossible to wash for a whole week.
Although grateful to the doctors and hospital staff, who did their best in an
extremely difficult environment, Jacqueline deplores the inhuman conditions of
hospitalization. “I understand that they are overworked. It’s not
funny. They must dress in their protective gear and undress between each room.
But what I found the worst was the lack of humanity“.
How can we explain such a situation when we were still at the very
beginning of the pandemic and there were very few COVID-19 patients
hospitalized at Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital, which is facing an outbreak
today?
Response from the CIUSSS de l’Est-de-l’Île-de-Montréal [CIUSS means Integrated
health and social services centres]: it is
difficult to say without knowing exactly where in the hospital this patient
was. What we recognize is that the hospital is dilapidated. “Hospital
staff are trying to do their best in a physical environment that is not always
optimal,” writes Catherine Dion, Communications Advisor to the CIUSSS
de l’Est-de-l’Île-de-Montréal.
In the days following the declaration of a health emergency, it was
necessary to quickly adapt the healthcare settings – review the ventilation
systems of certain units, intensive care, etc. “It
is indeed possible that some patients witnessed the agitation that reigned as
we prepared to face the pandemic“.
Regarding the quality of care, we
say we are “surprised“. “We
invite the lady to lodge a complaint with the service quality and complaints
commissioner, who can do the appropriate follow-up with the teams concerned“.
***
While Jacqueline remained convinced that the only way out was death, her
daughter, Lucie, said to her: “Mom, would you accept that Mirella calls
you to try to give you courage? “
Dr. Mirella De Civita is a psychologist. She is a good friend of Lucie. When
she learned that her mother was hospitalized, she offered to help.
“Mirella, it is a heart on two legs. Someone very generous, even if she
is very busy“.
– Lucie, daughter of Jacqueline
Jacqueline agreed. From their first conversation, she felt an impulse when
hearing the soft voice of the psychologist. “I felt like a 3 or 4 year old
child who is told a story and who wants it again and again. She asked me to do
visualization. For example, imagine myself in a place where I feel good with
all the people I love. I imagined myself in the dining room of my daughter, who
often receives the whole family. Then she told me to imagine that I got up and
cuddled two people of my choice. Surely, they were my son and my daughter. And
there I saw my whole world again… ”
They repeated the exercise every morning at 8 a.m. “It was
my” boost “for the day. After that, I said to myself, “You have
to heal. You have children, grandchildren … Life is still good. You have your
little dog too…“.
When she told her grandchildren about her visualizations, they thought it was a
little strange and teased her, she says laughing. “They said, ‘What did
Grandma smoke?“
The fact is, many scientific studies show that guided meditation can
improve well-being and decrease patient suffering. For
Jacqueline, the benefits have been immense. “If I
hadn’t had Mirella, I don’t know how I would have done it“.
The psychologist is very moved by
this recognition, but specifies that it was Jacqueline who did all the work.
“I am only a compassionate friend who wanted to help by
using my expertise, my knowledge. I didn’t act like her
psychologist. I would not have been able to live all this
with her if she had not made this choice herself“.
What is particularly difficult for patients with COVID-19 is the weight of
loneliness. With the help of Mirella, Jacqueline no
longer felt alone. She could feel the compassion that
made her want to live again.
Of course, it goes without saying
that visualization or meditation are not remedies for COVID-19, specifies the
psychologist. “Without the medical care that
Jacqueline received, I would not have been able to help her overcome the virus“.
***
When Jacqueline started to complain again, her son saw this as a good sign.
She told a nurse that she would rather have given birth once a
day than experience what she experienced during her hospital stay. “It would have been less difficult!“
In principle, she should have been
hospitalized for two weeks. But after 13 days, she
couldn’t take it anymore. She was able to get her leave.
Thus, on a rainy Thursday evening, Nicolas, who shared a duplex
with her, found her outside the door of the hospital. He
was moved when he saw her. Accompanied by a nurse, she was
in a wheelchair. Still weak and emaciated. But very much alive.
“It was time for me to go out.” Otherwise, I would have
escaped during the night!“
She didn’t want to get into the car too quickly. “Let me just get some
rain and some air!”
The return home was both happy and unsettling. Her poodle, Choupette, who
refused to eat during her absence, has become even more “sticky” than
ever. But nothing seemed the same anymore.
“I felt like I was landing in another world“.
A strange world where you can no longer hug your children and grandchildren
even after you think you are dying and have found a taste for life again.
Her grandchildren named her “Miraculous Grandma”.
She doesn’t like it too much, she said laughing. But she admits that this is
how she feels: “miraculous” of COVID-19”.
“Poches vides” (pronouced as POCHVID) means “empty pockets” in French. Of course, Bambi feels for this man 🙁 but remember this post is about finding and appreciating humour. Thanks Joëlle for sharing this funny cartoon! This being said, check his beard and hair. Mmm maybe Bambi can send him her talented spouse (he managed to cut his own hair!). So talented that she asked him the other day if he can cut hers too :).
This cartoon and all the others below are signed by Mr. Yannick Lemay from the Journal de Québec. OK, here you, can see a young man getting his CERB (Canada Emergency Response Benefit) check from Mr. Trudeau. Of course, thanks to our federal government… but notice how this guy is sitting in the sun with his drink. His partner is wondering “if she should go back to work or… ” get her direct deposit. The guy is telling Mr. Trudeau “I will re-take another cheque from you, dude!”. This cartoon may be referring to some people on welfare (funds from Québec) or on unemployment (funds from Canada) who have been spending their off work time in Mexico in the past.Bambi loves this cartoon. It is before Mr. Legault, the PM of Québec decided to open schools, earlier in regions followed by Montreal (hit hard in the pandemic). Check who is driving the school bus (Mr. Legault himself!) whilst saying “Hello Immunity!” This cartoon refers to a time where the PM may have said or answered a question from a journalist saying that going to school will not be mandatory. Check the mom throwing her kids out of their place because she likely cannot stand them anymore :). Her son is saying: “He said it is not mandatory! Of course, it is hard already to govern without a pandemic, so imagine with one. Each province is taking its own decisions, with its own approaches. Best wishes to every province/territory and country! Bambi thinks highly of Mr. Legault, even if he could or could not be right on this one. Parents are worried… but the Association of Pediatricians of Québec is all in favour of this decision. Adjustments may have to be eventually made, if outbreaks start in some schools. Going to the cottage, yes or no? Check the coronavirus with his Montreal hat, hitchhiking to go to the regions!
This senior man is saying that he can still survive in his confinement… but he cannot take the weather anymore!
This girl is celebrating her prom… at home by herself (perhaps virtually, as she is in front of a labtop screen?). She is crying, as you can see. Bambi feels for her… especially that she may have dreamed of this day for months or years. In the end, what can we do? Life is unfair at times, surely in a deadly pandemic!Here we can see Mr. Legault saying: “On the 4th of May, we will be giving the go ahead to return to work” . Check the lady measuring her partner’s belly and saying: “It is about time!” Check also her hair and his hair. Bambi likes the rainbow of hope on their fridge :). OK, here we can see the mom going to work fully equipped with PPE, saying “have a good day my love” (or “bébé”). The younger child is VERY frustrated (saying “it is unfair“!) because his teen brother is allowed to stay at home whilst he has to return to school. Check his physical distancing equipment :). Here we see Mr. Legault, again driving his school bus with a plan and a trailer of the Economy of Québec (check the “all will go well” slogan written in the colours of the rainbow of hope). The bus is crossing a bridge that does not seem to be that solid and we can read the sign “collective immunity” on it.
A federal politician, a conservative MP (official opposition), dared to express an opposition-related opinion. Now, his party under the weak leadership of Mr. Andrew Scheer is questioning his comments about Dr. Tam and asking him to apologize. He was even accused of being racist, a classical accusation in today’s society. Bambi knows something about this accusation for having been labelled racist herself ?. Same for her spouse, ironically for having said that it would be good to treat everyone equally. What a racist couple ?!:
In politics, as in in life, a citizen is supposed to
have a brain in order to use it. Yes, using one’s brain to think, confront ideas
with others, make own mistakes, and to learn from the latter. Not use our
brains just to repeat clichés of trendy opinions, without much thought.
On this blog, Bambi has constructively (at times maybe
severely) criticized politicians, in Canada, in Lebanon, in Québec, in New Brunswick,
in Sackville, etc. Specifically, she has allowed herself to write posts about
the work of Mr. Trudeau, Ms. Hajdu, Dr. Tam. Concerning Mr. Trudeau, she
allowed herself to express unfavourable (she has much to say here) as well as favourable
comments (she has the decency to acknowledge/applaud the good work). She has
also made jokes or sarcastic comments about Mr. Scheer more than a couple of
times. As far as Lebanon is concerned, she has written several posts during the
revolt and more recently. She even reported on the excellent work of the new Lebanese
government concerning covid-19. One must know how to give to Cesar what belongs
to Cesar, even when we are not fond of that Cesar.
Anyhow, what we have witnessed today is hypocrisy within
the Conservative Party of Canada. As mentioned above, one of its MPs,
called Mr. Derek Sloan, expressed concerns about Dr. Tam’s work. He wondered if
she has been more loyal to the Chinese
or to the World Health Organization (WHO)’s interests; the latter being “hijacked”
partly by China, partly by countries that China tries to invest in, namely some
African countries, etc.
Now, Mr. Sloan’s party is asking him to apologize for having
expressed his opinion. He seems to refuse to do so. At least, thus far, he
seems to have the guts not to do so… because frankly, why should he apologize?
We may agree with him or not. Why can’t we leave it there? Why should we always
censor and/or foster self-censorship?
Without having ever heard of this Mr. Derek Sloan in her
life before, Bambi recalls having posted on this blog a thoughtful commentary
by her friend Aline A. on Lebanon a few months ago (see below): In it, Aline A.
literally used similar words to those used by this politician:
“… Add to this, how we as Lebanese, are
sometimes like double agents, serving the interests of foreign countries more
than our own. Perhaps some were tempted by this or that reward from this or
that external force. They even changed their policies accordingly. This
politician works for Iran. The other for Saudi Arabia. Yet another for the
United States. Some even work for this and that at the same time.”:
Was Ms. Aline A. being “racist” against Lebanese
politicians? Of course, not ?.
It is called voicing an opinion or having critical thinking. Something we are
discouraging in Canada nowadays. We may agree with Aline or not. We may tell her:
This is your opinion. We do not share it.
Same for this Mr. Sloan. We can tell him, this is your
opinion, period.
In the past, politicians and some journalists labelled another federal politician, Mr. Maxime Bernier, “racist” because his opinion differed on a certain topic. He finally was not re-elected. The irony is that his new party includes people from all sorts of ethnolinguistic or religious backgrounds. Some citizens voted for him (Bambi was one of them), because they saw in him the hope of a change of this mindset.
Anyhow, Bambi has news for those politicians who are asking this MP to
apologize: She is not OK with their request of asking the Liberals to fire Dr. Tam,
even if she was the first to criticize Dr. Tam, Ms. Hajdu, and Mr. Trudeau
himself. She even joked that our PM should have not been re-elected in the
first place ?. She is
saying so, even if he makes good decisions from time to time. Even if Dr. Tam
is fired, our issues will not be solved.
Indeed, Canada, and the rest of the world, need to learn from this tragic
pandemic not to be commercially (perhaps even also ideologically for some of
us?) too dependent on China. It is not normal that a large percentage of the
world’s medication and hospital safety supplies (e.g., for surgeries, etc.) are
made in China.
Furthermore, regardless of China or Dr. Tam, the tragedy of our world is
that inspiring politicians are rare to find. We rather see mediocre public
servants, both Mr. Scheer and Mr. Trudeau are part of them, with all due respect
to both. Why can’t people, politicians or not, stand up for their values, have independent
opinions, refrain from accusing others of being traitors (or racists!), just for
having a different opinion.
Anyhow, Bambi got interested in comparing the responses of Dr. Tam and Dr. Ammar, both Directors of Public Health agencies in their respective countries, Canada and Lebanon.
Just for the record, Canada seems to have unhealthy ties with China (alignment to a large extent). Well, Lebanon has comparable unhealthy ties, but with Iran. Yet, despite some initial delay in closing its airport and land border with Syria (likely for political or military reasons), the Lebanese Government learned fast that we cannot waste much time in pandemics. Up to now at least, It has been doing an excellent job in protecting citizens (i.e., outstanding compared to the initial response of Canada!).
Again for the record, we are talking about a tiny bankrupt country on the verge of collapse. Their politicians may be corrupt when it comes to money… but they seem to be competent, knowing how to be as “covidwise” as possible.
Now, the Ministers of Health, Ms. Hajdu (Canada) and Dr. Hassan (Lebanon) are both relatively new to their positions. However, Hajdu was sworn in earlier, in November 2019 (http://www.netnewsledger.com/2019/11/21/patty-hajdu-sworn-in-as-minister-of-health/). As for Dr. Hassan, he took the responsibility of his Ministry of Health on January 23, 2020, as per the Lebanese Ministry of Health Twitter account. Just as reminder, the Lebanese government was formed end of December, 2019 when Bambi was visiting Beirut in the middle of a revolt (i.e., after three months of revolt, without a government).
First, here is a picture of Dr. Ammar (the Dr. Tam of Lebanon, so to speak):
To begin with, and as a reminder, on January 26, our own Dr. Tam tweeted the following:
Here is what the Honourable Hajdu, our Minister of Heath repeated on the same day:
Well, on the exact same day… or rather night (January 26 to after midnight of January 27, 2020), look where the Lebanese Minister was! He was at the Beirut airport in person checking on the medical operation of screening patients, their temperature and testing in case of symptoms. Bambi knows the time from a video posted on that governmental Twitter account. She took a screenshot of it. Below, we can read in Arabic: “What is Dr. Hassan doing at the Beirut airport after midnight“?
Does Canada have any excuse for its slow and careless response, with our borders or masks, etc.? Masks that it did not stockpile, as it was supposed to. Masks that it shipped to China in the middle of a pandemic. Well, no, at least according to Bambi.
This being said, did Canada improve after the fiasco of its initial response? Yes thankfully, especially on the economic front (despite miscoordination with provinces at times). It also ended up closing the US border (now oddly, it is already ready to open it to illegal migrants coming to Québec). Thankfully, overall, Mr. Trudeau and his team took good decisions to support Canadian businesses and citizens. For that, they should be commended. However, for their initial response, Bambi is sorry to say that tiny bankrupt Lebanon managed to beat them. Not very glorious, especially that we could have learned lessons from the SARS crisis. Doing worse than a tiny bankrupt country… Frankly, is this something to be proud of, as Canadians?
To conclude this post, if you are curious to know why did Bambi do all the timeline comparisons, here is why: 1. She LOVES Canada and wants us to do better; 2. It breaks her heart to see many deaths in our country; 3. She is very sad to see fellow citizens impacted by the tragic economic crisis; and… 4. last but not least, she came across the following documentary (see below) that intrigued her, to say the least. Indeed, if the 400-page document of briefings that is cited is accurate, she learned that Dr. Tam may have ignored internal advice from people from her own Ministry twice. One briefing even cited credible sources, namely the American CDC and from the UK.
Of note, this same documentary referred to Dr. Tam’s tweet of January 26, 2020 (see above). After hearing about it, Bambi had the fun idea of doing her own search, just to double-check the information. She also thought of searching to see where Lebanon was at that exact time, especially that Drs. Tam and Ammar are colleagues who are involved with the same WHO committee :).
It takes wisdom and courage to say no (to Ottawa) when it would be logical to do so, to protect the NB population during a deadly pandemic.
This temporary ban is meant to keep our good record of low cases and zero deaths related to Covid-19. Why take the risk of changing these good statistics, after having worked hard to keep them under control by taking wise decisions (fast lockout of senior nursing home, fast closure of borders, tracking symptoms and/or relations of travellers, informing people who travelled on an airplane with a known case, closing schools/campuses fast, etc.)?
The needs of our farmers can be easily filled with volunteering work by our younger people (e.g., maybe students or others, with a little bonus, if we can afford it, like richer provinces such as Québec; if not, as a volunteering work to help each other).
Related to this, it is reassuring to hear that the province will “shift some of the 1,500 foreign workers already in the province to fill gaps at his farm and others”, as NB Premier said.
May this pandemic be behind us, so we can come back to our normal welcoming traditions with our much needed summer foreign workers, with our relatives from other provinces, and with our international tourists or students, etc.
From a recent Warktimes article, we learned that our Green MLA, Ms. Megan Mitton is saying that Covid-19 shows need for guaranteed income: https://cutt.ly/7yd3sSh
Indeed, we can read in the article above: “Now more than ever there is a need to de-couple labour from income and ensure that everyone’s basic needs are met through a Guaranteed Liveable Income” Mitton, who represents the provincial riding of Memramcook-Tantramar, said Tuesday night during an hour-long Green Party panel discussion on Facebook.”
If this is not communism, what it is then?
Indeed, Mr. Karl Marx said the following: “From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs“.
Is this the solution Ms. Mitton? And if so, from where, would the “Guaranteed Liveable Income” come from? Does money grow on trees? Not to Bambi’s knowledge. This money will come from our taxes and/or public dept.
Related to this? Wouldn’t it be wiser to teach people to fish instead of giving them a fish?
Why do we need to make people so dependent on governments for a living?
Perhaps it would be more efficient for our governments to create winning conditions for entrepreneurs instead of killing their ambitions with handouts?
Anyhow, to conclude this post, Ms. Mitton’s idea is not new and not specific to the Green Party of NB. It has been advocated years ago by similar parties in Ottawa (Green Party of Canada) and Québec (Québec Solidaire):
Bambi’s heart goes to Brady’s parents, extended
family, and friends.
After a lengthy
hit-and-run trial, Judge Denise Leblanc “has found Maurice Johnson not
guilty in the death of Brady Francis that happened two years ago”.
“I am not convinced beyond a reasonable doubt
that Johnson knowingly hit a person,” she said whilst taking over two
hours to read her decision to the court.
It is absolutely heart-breaking to read about the words
Brady’s mom, saying she “felt let down by the Canadian justice system”… “I’m
so angry, hurt, lost … let down,” to use her own words.
“Why did I have faith in this[?]”.
In the same vein, the Elsipogtog First Nation Chief Aaron
Sock said immediately after the verdict: “There’s no justice for First
Nations people in Canada”.
Life is SO unfair… Sadly, there is nothing, not even a
guilty verdict, that would have brought Brady back. It cannot also bring immediate
closure and healing to all those hearts who have loved him.
This NB tragedy makes Bambi think of her family’s
neighbours in Beirut. They lost their two sons in two different car tragedies.
In both cases, the deceased boy was hanging out with the same friend. Of
course, not his fault. It was just fate. The family moved on with their lives,
despite the initial shock and anger.
In Brady’s hit-and-run death whilst waiting for a lift
(perhaps from his parents?), there is no word that can be said or written to
describe the cruelty of the sad story.
Mr. Johnson maintained his version of a deer, thinking
he hit one. Forensic evidence was also missing to make the Judge convinced “beyond
a reasonable doubt” that this man “knowingly hit a person”.
In this judgment, it is clear for Bambi that the ethno-linguistic
background of the young victim was not related to the outcome of this trial. In
other terms, the historic facts and reality of abuses and colonization toward our
first nations are irrelevant here… despite the disappointment and anger of
loved ones.
Justice should be served equally to all citizens, even
when they happen to be from this or that vulnerable group in our society.
Bambi could have misunderstood the CBC article. However,
it seems to her that the RCMP police worked hard to prove their guilt hypothesis.
Despite this, and despite a societal public opinion of sympathy toward first nations, Judge Leblanc seemed to have meticulously analyzed all the evidence at her hand. It takes much courage on behalf of a judge to come to a verdict based on evidence (or lack of?), and not on politics.
Of course, our legal system is far from being perfect,
especially perhaps in NB, but it remains the best “impartial” process humans
can have to obtain a resemblance of justice.
As a citizen self-representing, Bambi’ spouse experienced
the imperfect NB legal system. His experience brought to his/our attention
serious issues/gaps. However, despite this bad story, not a single minute passed
by where him or Bambi thought that his saga with our town and, by extension
with the NB or Canadian legal system, was due to his different heritage (culture,
including language/religion, etc.).
To conclude this post, may Brady’s memory be eternal… May his mom and dad manage to find enough peace to be able to go to sleep tonight, despite their sadness and disappointment.
