Lifting lockdowns, restrictions no sure road to economic recovery

Federal government departments operate in separate silos and rarely communicate, particularly on important issues. The competition between departments for power and prestige is too strong to allow for logical and reasoned policies.

“Lifting restrictions is not sufficient for a full economic recovery,” the note reads, adding that “evidence has shown that to unleash demand, it is critical that individuals also feel safe and confident in the ability of their government to contain the virus.”

That ship has sailed and sunk. The government failed to contain the novel coronavirus. When every province has seen a fall resurgence of virus cases, it is not the fault of health care people or the public. Most people have abided by COVID regulations for nine (9) months. The regulations are faulty, ill-conceived and inconsistent.News of a new mutation of coronavirus identified in Great Britain was followed by news that the strain had been identified in four Canadian provinces within a few days. That speaks to our lack of a coherent and effective border strategy.

We have a few million essential workers not required to quarantine on entry and who will not stay home and lose pay if they feel ill. They circulate freely amongst us and can spread the virus if they are infected.

We don’t have a plentiful supply of reliable rapid-test kits available, so screening workers is nearly impossible. We failed to provide CIVD related sick leave to allow workers to stay home if they or family members were ill or infected and are paying the price of false savings.         

“Nearing the end of the year, Canada had recouped just over four-fifths of the three million jobs lost in the spring, and real gross domestic product was about four per cent below pre-pandemic levels after posting a historic decline in the second quarter.”

The numbers of employed don’t mean much when middle-income jobs are replaced by low income and part-time jobs. We cannot ignore the reductions in living standards. We cannot ignore the loss of investments and goodwill value suffered by small business owners and independent contractors. Far too many will never recover from closures.

The Finance Department gurus failed to consider that there will be no economic recovery if restrictions are not lifted. They need to get a grip on reality.  We do not believe the government can manage an economic recovery any better than it has managed COVID containment.

If we want an economic recovery, the federal government must step back, stop meddling in business, commerce, economic development and the environment (which is a provincial jurisdiction) and allow free enterprise to flourish again.

Government subsidies to the media must be outlawed for contravening our constitutional right to a free press. A press accountable to the government for continuing subsidies is not free or impartial. It is unreasonable for the federal government to provide a grant of over $1.2 billion to the CBC, which makes our national broadcaster a taxpayer funded government shill.

We need a press that will print the truth instead of government propaganda.