Skip to main content

“I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind.” ~~ John G. Diefenbaker

FELDSTED – Points to Ponder (Part Two)


CTV NEWS: A former federal cabinet minister and doctor has begun helping out at a Markham facility for vulnerable adults that is dealing with a staffing crisis due to a COVID-19 outbreak.



Jane Philpott, a former family doctor who resigned from her position as president of the Treasury Board over the SNC-Lavalin scandal, was seen arriving at Participation House in full hospital scrubs on Easter Sunday following reports that the facility was missing more than two-thirds of its staff after many walked off the job late last week.

The facility, which provides care for 42 residents with developmental and physical disabilities, is now down to about 10 staff members from its usual compliment of 35.

This lady has a hundred times more integrity, honesty and moral courage than the Prime Minister (Justin Trudeau) who kicked her out of the caucus and party can ever hope to acquire. Ms Philpott is not afraid to get her hands dirty while doing the right thing in a dire situation. Bravo Dr. Philpot.

-------------------------------------

GLOBAL NEWS: Increasing Canada’s strategic stock of personal protective equipment (PPE) was “not a top priority,” in the years before the novel coronavirus outbreak, the country’s minister of employment, workforce development and disability inclusion said.

In an interview with The West Block’s Mercedes Stephenson, Carla Qualtrough, who served as Canada’s minister of Public Services and Procurement (PSPC) from 2017 to 2019, said during her tenure with PSPC, officials “didn’t turn our minds as much” to updating Canada’s PPE reserve despite warnings after the SARS outbreak that another pandemic could occur.

We were very focused, as you know, on defence procurement, on getting the coast guard the ships they need, on getting the navy, getting–fixing– Phoenix,” Qualtrough said.  “We had a lot on our plate as PSPC and that was not a top priority, no.”

The government was embroiled in killing naval contracts the previous government had signed in order to redirect them to party friendly contractors. That was not going well which led to false charges against Vice Admiral Mark Norman and ruination of his career. The Norman scandal has not been satisfactorily concluded.

The Phoenix pay system scandal is ongoing to this day. The horrendous costs keep mounting and there is no end in sight. The government can’t govern properly when it is up to its armpits in alligators.

--------------------------------------

I dearly wish that the personal care facility scandal did not exist, but years of inattention have come home to roost in the most horrific way. What is impossible to comprehend is why we have standards for day care centres, workers who need to be certified for employment and are paid a reasonable wage for their services, but we have no parallel system for personal care homes.

Surely seniors and people with disabilities who require assistance with ordinary daily functions are no less important than children in day care. My parents both ended their days in personal care homes and thankfully received superior care 

It is distressing that we appear to have no plans to protect these facilities from communicable diseases. Strains of flue and infections are as deadly to vulnerable people as coronavirus. Yet, people in these facilities need socialization with one another and with family members and friends. We must not punish them with prolonged isolation as that will result in serious psychological harm.


One would think that all such facilities should have separate isolation rooms equal to about 10% of their regular beds so that residents who have an infection can be separated from their peers until they have recovered. Protocols would be like the isolation rooms in a hospital – visits allowed with those visiting checked for infections and if cleared, decked out in gowns, gloves and masks to reduce risks.

--------------------------------------

HUFF POST: Both (Justin) Trudeau and (Andrew) Scheer came under fire for breaches of social distancing and stay at home regulations.

Trudeau travelled from his Ottawa home at Rideau Cottage to celebrate Easter with his family at Harrington Lake, the prime minister’s official country residence in Quebec’s Gatineau Park.

Scheer flew to Ottawa with his family (along with Elizabeth May and Carla Qualtrough) on a small government (nine passenger) jet at a time when Canadians are being told to physically distance from one another and avoid non-essential travel.

Gentlemen, we expect our leaders to follow the same rules imposed on the rest of us. Don’t tell us what we must do, exhort us to take one for the team and then ignore your own advice.

That is not the leadership we expect.

------------------------------------

THE STAR: Environics Analytics did a cell phone survey on people who were not staying home and reported that the numbers dropped from about 32% on the February 1st weekend to 15% on the April 4th weekend. That is both good news and astonishing.
   
The 16% figure would include essential workers going to carry out their daily duties. Bravo to all of you who are isolating to combat coronavirus spread. There aren’t as many careless dunces as we suspected. Thank goodness for small mercies.


John Feldsted ... is a political commentator, consultant, and strategist.  He makes his home in Winnipeg, Manitoba
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

BC’s Forestry Decline Is a Policy Failure, Not a Market Reality -- Forestry Critic Calls for Accountability and Urgent Policy Reset

Conservative Party of BC Forestry Critic, and Kamloops - North Thompson MLA,  Ward Stamer As the Truck Loggers Association convention begins today, BC Conservative Forestry Critic Ward Stamer says British Columbia’s forestry crisis is the result of government mismanagement, not market forces, and that an urgent policy reset is needed to restore certainty, sustainability, and accountability. “For generations, forestry supported families and communities across BC,” said Stamer.  “Today, mills are closing, contractors are parking equipment, and families are being forced to leave home, not because the resource is gone, but because policy has failed.” Government data shows timber shipment values dropped by more than half a billion dollars in the past year, with harvest levels falling by roughly 50 per cent in just four years. At the same time, prolonged permitting timelines, unreliable fibre access, outdated forest inventories, and rising costs have made long-term planning impossib...
Post a Comment
Read more

BC cannot regulate, redesign, and reinterpret its way to a stable forestry sector. Communities need clear rules, predictable timelines, and accountability for results.

Photo credit:  Atli Resources LP   BC’s Forestry Crisis Continues with Closure of Beaver Cove Chip Facility   As industry leaders, Indigenous partners, and contractors gather this week at the BC Natural Resources Forum in Prince George, the gap between government rhetoric and reality could not be clearer. Just hours after the Eby government once again touted reconciliation, certainty, and economic opportunity under DRIPA, Atli Chip Ltd, a company wholly owned by the ’Na̱mg̱is First Nation, announced it is managing the orderly closure of its Beaver Cove chip facility. The closure comes despite public tax dollars, repeated government announcements, and assurances that new policy frameworks would stabilize forestry employment and create long-term opportunity in rural and coastal British Columbia. “British Columbians are being told one story, while communities are living another,” said Ward Stamer, Critic for Forests. “This closure makes it clear that announcement...
Post a Comment
Read more

Eby government signs another land-use agreement, as they say one thing and do another, during DRIPA chaos

While promising to fix DRIPA, the Eby government continues to quietly sign binding land-use agreements that fundamentally alter how Crown land is governed in British Columbia. On January 15, 2026, the government signed four ministerial orders advancing the Gwa’ni Land Use Planning Project with the ’Na̱mg̱is First Nation, amending the Vancouver Island Land Use Plan and changing how more than 166,000 hectares of Crown land can be accessed, developed, and managed. “This is Land Act reform by stealth,” said Critic for Indigenous Relations Scott McInnis. “British Columbians already rejected these changes once. In 2024, public backlash forced the NDP to pull its Land Act amendments. Instead of listening, this government has gone underground, signing individual deals behind closed doors, just like we’ve already seen in places such as Squamish, Teẑtan Biny, and across Northwest BC.” “The Premier admits DRIPA ( the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act) is creating ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Labels

Show more