ECA Review 2020-03-26

4 March 26'20 HANNA/CORONATION/STETTLER, AB. Eca REVIEW
OPINION
The opinions expressed are not necessarily
the opinions of this newspaper.
EDITORIAL
Never let a good
crisis go to waste!
B. Schimke
ECA Review
There are three kinds of leaders in a
crisis.
There are those who are able to
pivot, stop politics, turn to experts and
make bold decisions, even though they
are not always the right decisions.
There are those who freeze and
strive hard to keep the past as present.
And finally, there are those who
seek personal and political advantage
when a population is fearful.
The Government of Canada, with
the support of
all opposition
parties, postponed
their
budget approval
and shut down
Parliament to
stay focussed
on cooperatively
fighting
COVID-19.
Premier
Kenney instead
pushed through
a controversial
budget based on
fairy-tale revenues.
Finance
Minister Toews
and Premier
Kenney justified
passing the
budget in order
to approve
money to fight
COVID-19.
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“
others focussed on the
COVID-19 pandemic,
there is no better time
for Kenney’s leadership
type to slide in under the
radar and pass
controversial legislation
that disproportionately
aid powerful lobbyist’s
agendas.
That is simply bulls**t. There are
many legislative spending vehicles to
use in an emergency.
This approval simply allows Kenney
to re-start public service cuts immediately
after the pandemic. It may not
happen, but there is also now public
money approved for private corporations
to build and upgrade surgeries,
potentially strengthening their relative
position, while the public system
struggles with a medical crisis.
Despicably, Premier Kenney continues
to agitate doctors. Kenney gave
notice to the province’s radiologists
that he will unilaterally cancel their
contract next year.
Ironically, that contract was just renegotiated
by the UCP government and
signed by radiologists accepting a 12
per cent decrease in their fees.
The telehealth app rolled out by government
to triage patients remotely by
an unknown doctor rather than a
family doctor was yet another example
of unending attacks on health care
providers.
Kenny allowed teachers to work
with their students online from home
with full pay two weeks ago. Until this
past Monday, doctors were not allowed
to charge equivalent in-person fees to
work with patients online.
Patients need to talk to their doctors;
doctors want to help their patients; and
social distancing is imperative. We
don’t want our doctors and nurses getting
COVID-19 unnecessarily.
Unlike teachers, doctors are independent
businesses with staff, rent,
equipment and supply costs.
Kenney’s hate-on for doctors has
already harmed our public health care
system. Rural doctors are boycotting
certain services as witnessed in
Stettler with reduced emergency room
coverage, a number of specialists have
already left the
province and
family clinics are
With the press and going bankrupt.
Kenney’s push
to privatize even
more of our public
health care
system may be on
pause, but it’s still
his priority.
At the time of
writing this
column, Kenney
has kept the
Legislature open
with the express
purpose to push
through more
industry-friendly
legislation.
A bill of much
concern is one
that approves private
no-fault
insurance. If
passed, it is a cash windfall for
industry and financially disadvantages
the insured. That’s why no-fault
insurance is traditionally found only
in government insurance programs
which focus on coverage and cost control,
not denials and profits.
With the press and others focussed
on the COVID-19 pandemic, there is no
better time for Kenney’s leadership
type to slide in under the radar and
pass controversial legislation that disproportionately
aid powerful lobbyist’s
agendas.
It’s not the 2008 economic crisis
where greed led to a financial crisis
and economic stimulus saved the day,
sort of.
It’s a health crisis where survival is
the priority.
We only need look south of the
border to see how dismal the for-profit
health care system, market competition
and distrust of government is at
responding collectively to a nationwide
pandemic.
Premier Kenney, to date, has shown
himself to have the worst type of leadership
qualities in a crisis. His
‘business as usual’ is a crass example
of self-serving politicians “never letting
a good crisis go to waste”.
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PRAIRIEVIEW
Surprise! Surprise!
by Herman Schwenk police were standing by and not doing
The government announced that as a thing about it.
of Thurs. March 18 the border would Trudeau said the police had to make
be closed to non-essential travel their own decision, that the government
could not tell them what and
between Canada and the USA, however
commercial traffic would
when to do it. So then it seems damn
continue.
funny that they could instruct the
I was reading a column by Brian RCMP to assist the migrants to cross
Lilley in the Edmonton Sun and in it the border from crossing illegally. That
he stated that what the government was not an RCMP decision.
didn’t announce was that the border So here we have the Prime Minister
crossing for irregular [illegal]
being a hypocrite again and no one
migrants would remain open at holding him to account for it.
Roxham Rd. from New York into
I think we all know that the Liberals
Quebec.
love to spend someone else’s money
When the RCMP were contacted and they aren’t too careful about how
about the issue they confirmed that they spend it.
this was so.
According to a letter my MP Damien
Well, in fact, the border did not officially
close until Sat. March 21. gave $50 million to Mastercard, a com-
Kurek wrote in a paper last week they
Surprise, surprise the Liberals pany that made $16 billion in 2019.
finally had to back down. There was They gave $12 million to Loblaws—the
just no way that they could justify company that owns superstore—to
migrants crossing illegally as essential buy fridges that they didn’t need.
travel into Canada however this would Now with COVID-19 raging around
be a temporary measure.
the world and in this country,
Can you just imagine the hand destroying the world economy I will
ringing that must have gone on with bet that they are just jumping up and
Trudeau and his Liberal cohorts on down with glee.
having to back down on their signature
world social program to convince aid package of $82 billion for Canada;
This past week they announced an
the UN that Canada is a caring and $27 billion to top up unemployment
compassionate nation and should be insurance and provide funds for selfemployed
and other laid off people.
rewarded with a seat on the UN
Security Council.
In addition they are providing $55
According to what I read in that billion to meet the liquidity needs of
column in the Sun there were 1086 of Canadian businesses and households
these people that crossed into Canada through tax deferrals to help stabilize
at that crossing in January and that the economy.
was up about 200 from last year.
They have also indicated that they
In the last three years there were would be prepared to grant financial
somewhere between 50 and 60 thousand
of these migrants that have line industry and others. Here I would
assistance to the energy sector, the air-
crossed illegally into Canada.
guess that we are talking another $100
These are people that are being billion.
allowed to jump the queue and preventing
and delaying people from is probably necessary and of course
With our current circumstances this
immigrating into Canada through the the opposition could not criticize the
proper channels.
needed assistance.
These people are not refugees, they If the liberals had a record of
are economic migrants that are being spending public money responsibly
allowed to come into Canada illegally like the Conservatives did in 2008 I
and costing the government a lot of wouldn’t be so concerned.
money.
What really gets me is that when
Not only that, the RCMP were this is over they will be expecting the
directed to assist them.
public to treat them like heroic saviours
and be rewarded in the next
Not so long ago protesters were
blocking rail lines in Canada. The election.
BRENDA SCHIMKE
Editorial Writer
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