The fight against COVID-19 isn’t a war, and shouldn’t be described that way
OTTAWA—Whenever there is a crisis involving death and destruction, one of the first reactions of the media is to describe it as being akin to “a war zone.” A tornado rips through an urban centre and we are told that the wreckage looks “like a war zone.” A train derails and bursts into flames and […]
Market fundamentalism is dead. We’re all socialists now
OTTAWA—So, us SJWs (social justice warriors) were right all along. It seems like building a just and equitable society where people are paid a livable wage, health care and housing are human rights, the environment is protected, labour is powerful, and white supremacy/colonialism and patriarchy are relegated to the annals of history is quite doable, […]
Canadian House of Commons needs discipline, not virtual voting: reader
Re: “Introduction of electronic, remote voting not called for yet, but should be re-examined by House committee, say some MPs,” (The Hill Times, April 1, p. 14). As one who frequently observes the televised House of Commons proceedings, it was interesting to read the commentary from three MPs in this story regarding modernizing House procedures, […]
COVID upheaval may prompt long overdue repudiation of selfishness disguised as austerity
OTTAWA—More than a decade has passed since, during the 2009 financial meltdown, we heard the now-resurrected refrain: “We’re all socialists now.” That ironic phrasing is, of course, a recognition of the reality that, in the worst of times, people turn to government to inject large quantities of money into the economy in hopes of resurrecting […]
Can COVID-19 help us address viral nature of man-made conflict?
Faced with an unprecedented pandemic, people across the world now have one thing in common: the fear of COVID-19. Everyone is now confronting a common enemy, presenting a sobering reminder for high-income countries that they are not immune to global health outbreaks. The spread of the virus has become not only a universal public-health issue, […]
Crisis underscores that health workers are backbone of health system
Across the world, members of the public are clapping from their doorways and balconies to show their appreciation of health workers. It is becoming clearer than ever that our health system is largely our health workers. Ventilators do not work without health workers; testing does not happen without health workers. All forms of care required […]
To fight COVID-19, the world needs science, and science needs data
It may seem an eternity to us all now, but it has been less than four months since COVID-19 emerged as a frightening threat to global health. The death toll, globally, is now well over 52,000 and rising. How high this number will go depends on the effectiveness of a global machine of science and […]
Charities, non-profits could plunge into crisis before federal wage subsidy kicks in
Since they are on the front lines of our COVID response and form a vital part of our social fabric, Canadian charities and non-profit organizations should immediately qualify for the new Canada emergency wage subsidy program, or they’ll be forced into crisis. Many of these organizations provide a wide range of health and social services, […]
It is past time for co-operation to prevail over narrow political preferences
A senior adviser at the World Health Organization (WHO) was recently asked by a journalist about Taiwan’s success in combatting COVID-19 and whether the WHO will reconsider Taiwan’s engagement with the agency. Rather than answer the question, this senior adviser appeared to hang up the phone, dodged the question, and ultimately, responded by suggesting that […]
Hungary: the first casualty?
LONDON, U.K.—“Hello, dictator!” said Jean-Claude Juncker cheerily to Hungary’s leader, Victor Orbán, at a European Union summit meeting a couple of years ago. The president of the European Commission was only joking, of course, but it was gallows humour. Dictatorship was clearly where Orbán was heading—and now he has arrived. On March 30, the Hungarian […]
