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 – Rising from the Ashes (part 1)


We will emerge from the current surreal situation.

We have voluntarily given up our freedoms on the advice of the medical community in order to slow the spread of a communicable virus. What is galling is that the predicted exponential increases in COVID-19 cases has not taken place. We have had a very large number of cases (and deaths) added to the totals due to virus outbreaks in long-term care facilities which were predictable and preventable.
A few days ago, we were advised that deaths in long-term care facilities represented about 50% of the COVID-19 deaths reported. That is horrific and getting rapidly worse as new instances in care homes are reported each day.

What is the proportion today? 55% ... 60% ... or higher?

It makes a huge difference in trying to assess the risks to the general population. Both the reported number of cases and number of deaths are artificially high when assessing the risks to the multitude in self-isolation.

Including statistics for vulnerable and unprotected people unable to self-isolate and social distance is misleading at best. At the very least, those numbers should be segregated in assessing the effect that social isolation is having on COVID-19 spread. The currently published figures are dishonest.
We have effectively shut down our economic engines putting millions of people in economic peril.

Political leaders recognize this is an acute problem and are trying to offset some of the harm. They cannot succeed for more than a brief period. Too many people fall outside support programs. We cannot increase the numbers living in poverty without serious social and economic consequences.
We have little choice but to restart our economic engines and develop systems that allow free enterprise to thrive as never before.

It is imperative that we destroy the chains that hinder resource development -- ensure that Canada becomes energy self-sufficient  -- and builds the primary and secondary refineries, smelters, foundries, packing plants and processing plants to create meaningful work for our people and maintain our standard of living.
Our federal government has been fixated on becoming a player on the world stage, but Canada is still a minor league player on the economic front.

We have the potential to become an economic powerhouse but have not created the climate for prosperity. Our focus has to shift to internal development of our resources, infrastructure, and workforce in order for us to prosper.

We have deluded ourselves into believing we can shift to clean energy, that we can improve the world through urging change in other nations, that we are changing to a knowledge driven economy, and that Canada does not have a unique character and identity in a brave new borderless world -- all of which are intellectual exercises in daydreaming.
The COVID-19 crises has brought it all to a jarring halt. 

We have finite borders to protect. We have a unique society that has come together to support one another without prejudice or discrimination. We are recognizing our failures and fears without flinching, determined to learn from our mistakes and do better.

Our dalliance with ideology left us vulnerable, and that has to be remedied.
The world and our place therein are changing, but we are not facing rebellion and coup d'état. We are undergoing gradual shifts and adaptation that will take place over decades.

Our challenge is to manage the shifts to minimize adverse effects on our nation and its people.

We cannot be coerced or driven to make changes quickly particularly when sudden changes threaten our economic and social security. That attempt has crashed and burned.


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