Category: Sackville’s Memorial park

We are in the middle of a pandemic, at war against a potentially deadly virus.

As our PM, we would have imagined Mr. Trudeau to be too busy, leading our country in such turbulent times. Yet, he has the time for a video conference… with our kids?

https://www.cbc.ca/kidsnews/post/do-you-have-a-question-about-the-coronavirus-for-trudeau

If parents are well informed, through full and genuine transparency, they would feel less anxious. In turn, they can be better equipped to reassure their kids themselves.

So, why doesn’t Mr. Trudeau focus his energy on his PM-related job only, letting families take care of their own kids’ concerns (if any)?

In Bambi’s mind, from an evolutionary perspective, those Swedish folks featured in the video below can be called “coviidiots”… unless they are simply extreme death deniers. Who knows?

Perhaps this is what happens to brains after hearing ideologies for too long? They end up ignoring both science and common sense.

This being said, they are reminding Bambi of risky behaviours of religious freaks elsewhere on the planet (e.g., Lebanon, Israel, NY, and even Montreal, etc.).

Perhaps these people truly believe that they are more superior, not just to the novel (thus dangerous) virus but also to the rest of us?

There is a Planet B after all… it is Planet S ?!

In his daily press conference of March 30, 2020, Mr. Trudeau told Canadians: “Fortunately, Canada has taken responsible decision over the past many years to have one of the best balance sheets in the G7, we’ve been making sure we have money set aside for a rainy day. Well, it’s raining we are now able to invest in Canadians” .

Although these words seem reassuring, to what extent is this statement accurate?

Well, according to a report, which was published by the “Centre of Productivity and Prosperity, Walters J. Somers Foundation, HEC” (Montreal, QC, Canada):  “The situation is changing from 2015. At the cost of four consecutive budget deficits totaling $ 56.5 billion, the government is taking program spending to an all-time high in 2018, or $ 8,714 per capita.”

Source of the above data: https://cpp.hec.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/PP-2019-05.pdf (report in French).

For fun, after reading the above, Bambi became interested in comparing Canadian and Lebanese financial indicators. Mind you, this comparison would not be glorious for Canada, being as Lebanon defaulted on eurobonds on March 8, 2020.

Anyhow, for a quick comparison, she consulted the following informative CIA website to explore their most recent data, as of today (or rather tonight ?): https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2186rank.html

Canada’s public debt, calculated as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP), was: “89.70% in 2017” (27th highest debt in the world; the USA was at the 34th position, if you are curious to know, like Bambi).

According to the same CIA website, Lebanon’s public debt was: “152.70% in 2017” (third highest debt in the world, after Greece and Japan).

For detailed statistics on Canada, you may wish to read the “economy” sub-part of this page: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ca.html

Based on the data cited above, to what extent are PM Trudeau’s words accurate?

You may perhaps wish to draw your own conclusion…

“Donald Trump should take a lesson from Justin Trudeau — and even Doug Ford — on coronavirus leadership” :

https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2020/03/31/donald-trump-should-take-a-lesson-from-justin-trudeau-and-even-doug-ford-on-coronavirus-leadership.html

Bambi does not know much about Mr. Ford to have an opinion. She only sees two politicians every day and that’s more than enough :).

The title of this post refers to airlines’ wisdom. When we are in a survival mode (e.g., COVID-19 pandemic or airplane emergencies, wars, etc.), if we do not put ourselves first, we die. This would be especially tragic, if we want to keep living.

This does not mean we do not think or love others. This does not mean we cannot be human toward other countries. We have a human responsibility, for sure. However, we must be “smart”, to use Mr. Trudeau’s own words today (Bambi’s word for this is “coviwise” ?).

Mr. Trudeau, you are asking Canadians to be smart (“you are serving by staying at home”, well said again, as usual). The problem is not the beauty of your words, it is rather their emptiness or their disconnect with your people.  

This being said, Mr. Trudeau is absolutely right. Thanks for the smart advice. However, Bambi wonders why our federal government is not acting “smartly” as well, in order to protect our first-line health workers, and by extension all of us!?

This brings Bambi to Dr. Tam (Canada Chief Public Health Officer). Too much on her shoulders… Mr. Trudeau and Ms. Freeland (Deputy Prime Minister) both keep referring journalists to her, when they do not want to answer or when they do not have any clue what to say.

For Bambi, Dr. Tam seemed, from the beginning, the most competent in this ministry. Sadly, she is not the Health Minister herself. Despite Bambi’s latter remark, Dr. Tam seems to be limited with what to say or not to say (normal after all, despite her intelligence, she is being respectful to her bosses).

Now that our federal government woke up (bravo, it is a start!), everyone in that government seems to be relying on Dr. Tam. Let’s hope she will keep on being wise and honest.

Yesterday, one of our federal ministers said that “we do not just protect Canadians but we also have a responsibility toward other countries”. Although he is absolutely right about our collective responsibility to humanity, Canada should be concerned about Canadians’ safety BEFORE anything or anyone else in the world.

Where are the masks, Mr. Trudeau, that will protect our first-line health workers? Where are they also to protect border agents at our still-open airports? Why aren’t we distributing them to travellers who may have symptoms, as your health minister has stated, and as written in the government’s official documents?

On a different topic bur related to COVID-19, Mr. Trudeau (or his helping staff) tweeted yesterday the following: “While many of us are working from home, there are others who aren’t able to do that – like the truck drivers who are working day and night to make sure our shelves are stocked. So when you can, please #ThankATrucker for everything they’re doing and help them however you can”.

Beautiful words, as usual. Sadly, they are not just empty. They sound hypocritical, especially to our truck drivers, given the carbon tax increase on April 1, despite the pandemic.

Canada’s carbon tax increasing April 1 despite coronavirus economic crunch

As explained in the Global News article above:

“That scheduled rise from $20 per tonne to $30 per tonne is in keeping with the plan to raise it by $10 per tonne each year until 2022. For consumers, that translates to roughly an extra 2.5 cents per litre of gasoline at the pumps.

The prime minister repeatedly refused to give a yes or no answer to whether the increase would go ahead during days of recent questioning by journalists”.

When dealing with journalists’ amazing efforts to get transparency for all of us, Mr. Trudeau showed an ability to admit that some questions are difficult. This is a new start for him. Journalists managed to “corner” him on the mask issues.

The truth of the matter is that we are not prepared for the pandemic, as we should have been, as a G7 country. We have the scientific capacity and the economic means. We have NO EXCUSE like other bankrupt countries, like Lebanon. In all honesty, the latter country seems to be behaving now more wisely AND honestly. Let’s give them this credit, for once.

They are considering building field hospital for Syrian refugees, in coordination with the UNHCR… because “the virus’s spread within refugee communities “would be a catastrophe for both, the displaced and the Lebanese population” (Orient Le Jour, March 31^, 2020).

Mr. Trudeau, we are all being as smart as we can to protect ourselves AND others.

What are you doing to protect us when it comes to masks and medical equipment?

For an earlier post on the topic, please read:

Canada & China: Sometimes too much “generosity” can literally kill

Bambi has written a post in the past on leadership, featuring two colleagues: The first is an inspiring dad that she is proud to work with (yes, this is Mike George) and the other is an inspiring colleague from Montreal (Dr. Mirella De Civita).

This is your lifetime chance to hear these podcasts again, if you have some time to kill in a COVID-19 pandemic. OK, that was Bambi being too silly before midnight :).

More seriously, thank you Mike for sharing your story and your resilience journey.

Thanks to Soaring Families for existing and helping “families impacted by a serious health condition or a disability”!

https://www.soaringfamilies.com/

Sharing two inspiring podcasts, one featuring Mr. George Mike, Ben’s devoted father, and another with Dr. Mirella De Civita, a licensed psychologist and a professional certified coach, reflecting on bad leaders

Born in 1963, Ms. May Chediac is a journalist and a former Lebanese Minister.

In the brief video below, you can see her leaving the hospital on a wheelchair, with her beautiful smile. Obviously, she is happy to be quarantined at her place. Good for her ?!

As she publicly explained, she was infected with the coronavirus likely in France where she had to travel for an overdue rehabilitation follow-up appointment:  

Below is an older CNN documentary, featuring her incredible story after a cruel car explosion in 2005 (she was a vocal critic of Syria’s keeping troops stationed in Lebanon upon the end of the Lebanese civil war).

What an inspiring character this May Chediac. May she completely recover soon.

In many countries, airports are closed (lockdown). Before that, or in those still open, there is much more serious screening than in Canada.

Again, the same two burning questions: Is this normal? Is this wise?

In addition to reassuring us about toilet papers ?, Mr. Trudeau also told us today that our federal government “has a lot of money. Thus, we need not to worry”.

Although it is thoughtful of him to reassure afflicted or worried Canadians about finances in COVID-19 times, we all know that this is not the precise accurate reality, don’t we?

From the Lebanese financial tragedy pre-COVID-19, Bambi sadly knows too well that no country, whether tiny or large, is immune to increased debt and even bankruptcy.

Today more than ever, we realize how much it is necessary to wisely manage our budget, both personal and collective, in order to be ready for any unexpected emergency (of course whilst also living, investing, and taking calculated risks).

Without such wisdom, Bambi’s own parents (not millionaires :)) would have not been able to bring their family to safety during the last sprint of the civil war. Thank you.

Yes, in life, money does not grow on trees. Bambi recalls how, as a child, she used to ask her dad during war, time after time: “Dad, how is work? Are we OK?” Perhaps a bit like Mr. Trudeau (but surely for different reasons!), her dad used to tell her with his most reassuring voice: “Thank God, it could be worse” (I guess the worse sadly occurred in Lebanon only last October, 30 years post-war).

Of course, there was no government able to support entrepreneurs then (and now). It must have been hard to be in the business of selling electrical supplies/HiFi in times of power outages and long rounds of shelling, hiding in shelters or working behind sandbags.

Thank goodness, today, the emerging Lebanese government (that the people kept rebelling against only recently) is doing a rather excellent (if not impeccable?) job in its fight against COVID-19. So far, so good… Things still under control (at least death-wise and recoveries). Even Bambi has no critical comment, for the moment, but just: Thanks to everyone there working/serving to keep her loved ones and everyone safe.

Anyhow, to come back to Mr Trudeau, there is a Lebanese saying that goes like that: “Hide (for put aside) your white penny for your black (for dark) day”.

This piece of wisdom is meant for individuals yet it applies to governments.

Without being too sarcastic and surely while being grateful to our governments’ efforts, Bambi would like to share a text much more sarcastic than her own words. It was published in the Journal of Montreal on March 26, 2020 and signed by Mr. Joseph Facal (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Facal).

When she first read it, she was not interested in sharing it. However, today, upon hearing the PM press conference (whilst working), she thinks that it may provide an interesting reading, just for fun if not for reflection:

First, here is the French original text entitled “the young man with a can of gasoline and a match [Le jeune homme avec un bidon d’essence et une allumette].

https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2020/03/26/le-jeune-homme-avec-un-bidon-dessence-et-une-allumette

“If you don’t go out, you spend less. If we spend less, businesses die.

If businesses die, thousands of people lose their jobs. It’s an automatic gear.

It is estimated that 47% of Canadians find it difficult to pay their bills as soon as their pay is delayed by… seven days.

Imagine their anguish. Now is not the time to blame them.

Careful?

Our governments are therefore announcing emergency measures.

The Trudeau government has just committed $ 82 billion: $ 27 billion in direct assistance to businesses and workers, and $ 55 billion by delaying the payment of amounts due.

It’s only a beginning.

Now, let’s go back in time.

In the first Morneau-Trudeau budget, in March, 2016, the announced deficit of nearly $30 billion was three times higher than expected.

We then asked Ottawa: isn’t it reckless? What if something unexpected strikes?

We were told: we need to stimulate the economy.

We asked: will you have a plan to return to balanced budgets? How many years will you run deficits?

We were told: don’t worry, all the signals will turn green.

The important thing, they said, is that economic growth can support increased debt.

The second federal budget? Another deficit and no plan to return to balance.

But what if something happens?

Trust Bill and Justin!

The third federal budget? Another deficit and no plan to return to balance.

But what if something happens?

Trust Bill and Justin!

The fourth federal budget? Another deficit and no plan to return to balance.

But what if something happens?

Trust Bill and Justin!

Inevitably, the federal debt increased, increased, increased, while the provinces rowed to balance their accounts.

The HEC Montréal Centre for Productivity and Prosperity, after all the accounting adjustments, estimates the deficits accumulated between 2015 and 2018 at $ 56.6 billion.

Last month, Ottawa forecasted a deficit of $ 26.6 billion for 2019-2020 and $ 28.1 billion for 2020-2021.

And it was before this atomic bomb that fell on our economy that is COVID-19.

Casino

You’ll tell me that no one predicted this virus.

First: not exactly. As early as 2018, the WHO said it was not a matter of “if”, but rather of “when”, and that we were not ready.

Second: by definition, prudence and foresight are precisely to keep in mind that the unexpected can arise at any time.

Lots of economists were already telling Trudeau that his reckless spending, which increased the debt, was an injustice to future generations who would pick up the bill.

The more the debt increases, the more the interest on it increases, forcing tax cuts or increases.

And that was before the economic paralysis and the rescue expenses demanded by COVID-19!

Justin went to the casino with our money…”

Human beings have the amazing capacity to learn from their past. Sadly, they are also notoriously known for sometimes letting “history repeat itself”.

This being said, by the own admission of our federal government’s website (https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/culture/clmhc-hsmbc/res/doc/information-backgrounder/espagnole-spanish), Canada has founded a new bureaucratic layer (Department of Health) in 1919 as a response to critics for failing to provide resources and coordination to public health authorities across the country:

“Criticized for failing to provide resources and coordination to public health authorities across the country, the federal government responded to the crisis by founding the Department of Health in 1919. From then on, public health was a responsibility shared by all levels of government” (please see the last paragraph of the website above).

Despite all the best intentions of the world, like anyone else, Bambi has seen outcomes of bureaucratic processes in her life.

Always frustrating, especially in pandemic times where rapid decision-making, implementation of decisions, and careful coordination (to avoid miscommunications, duplication, potentially harmful mistakes, etc.) matter more than ever.

It is surely not helpful to have a very large country with several jurisdictions. However, it is also an amazing opportunity to cooperate and learn from each other, to adjust decisions or mistakes that are bound to happen (and that’s OK as we can learn from them). The idea is to have a plan, to try it, and to adjust the stages, according to new daily input or damage in sectors or lives, etc.

Bambi does not have any issue with mistakes. Her problem is more with ideology mainly, coupled with continuous vague answers to journalists’ important questions.

Mr. Trudeau is right. We all need to collaborate by staying in social isolation. However, what will he do to help provinces/territories/communities OR companies (transportation, etc.) enforce measures imposed by the authorities? Concretely. Not a time to answer vaguely with beautiful but empty words.

For instance, does he feel comfortable to support provinces, if some people from groups he considers racialized refuse to quarantine or others attend religious services (https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/toronto-mosques-coronavirus-1.5508545 as seen in other countries in the middle east, including Lebanon and Israel?

What about groups from first nations communities? What if, may God forbid, the virus spreads there (e.g., in Montreal or elsewhere) and people do not collaborate?

On a different topic, why does he talk to us every single day? Would it help if he does it every second day? Or as needed? In the meantime, we can listen to our own provincial authorities. And that way, he can rest to keep his energy alive for this pandemic (a lengthy marathon).

Yesterday, Mr. Trudeau told kids that they are going to lead us through this crisis. Like him, Bambi loves children and was happy to see him thinking of them. However, she found this platitude scary. How can kids be leaders in pandemics? Why doesn’t he be a leadership model for them? They may be looking up to him for that. Who knows?

Children, adults of middle age, and especially seniors, we are all eager to see more concrete actions.

As his own (and our!) Sophie Grégoire Trudeau wrote on her FB yesterday, to overcome this crisis, we need science AND compassion.

Science means public health experts and input from the “health soldiers” on the ground. Emerging science on this new virus, yes, but ultimately political decisions need to be taken, even in the absence of full knowledge.

Mr. Trudeau keeps talking about coordinating with other countries. If she may, Bambi thinks that now more than ever, we need to see him putting us first. Before other countries or other ideologies. Please Mr. Trudeau accept to be more flexible with your vision.

As far as compassion is concerned, when we have it, we can naturally care for all people, including those in more dangerous regions and those more vulnerable. Related to the latter, Mr. Trudeau has all the compassion needed. It should be easy then.

Last but not least, compassion may also mean putting aside one’s older political ideologies (i.e. globalism mindset or other) and so-called values, as he told us yesterday during his press conference. He said that he assures us that “Canada will act according to our values”. Bambi finds this sentence rather scary, not reassuring.

Mr. Trudeau needs to be ready to innovate in actions and to surprise himself even with that. For example, the Hezbollah (which Bambi is clearly NOT fond of) understood this and is acting smartly: Their Chief even ordered mosques to close a while ago and said that “this combat is more dangerous than July war” (2006 conflict with Israel, that left over 1200 civilians dead). We all know how much he hates Israel. If we forget, every now and then, he goes out publicly, reminding people of it.

If Mr. Nasrallah is able to be “covidwise” like that and forget even his own values (and raison d’être, in a bankrupt country which was able to secure 1185 ventilators in a quick partnership between the public and private health sectors), why is Mr. Trudeau so attached to his “values”?

Can he remain faithful to them in general (post-pandemic) but change his mindset now to help in protecting us?