The Government's Words and Its DeedsConfident declarations flooded the news during the days and weeks prior to the arrival of the first cases of COVID-19 in Canada. They have now dissipated or been drowned out by the reality of the unfolding crisis. There is no more talk about "how well prepared Canada is for the oncoming battle," as more and more stringent measures are applied and predictions of relief are stretched out over more and more weeks and months. The suggestion, which is repeated over and over again is that if this is not brought under control it is the fault of Canadians who do not understand the need for social distancing. Presumably they are responsible for spreading the disease. Prime Minister Trudeau has been making daily pronouncements about the medical response and the measures taken to protect and bolster the economy, and increased police measures and threats seem to follow the press conferences routinely. Billions and billions of dollars are slated for disbursement in a bewildering and ever-changing set of rules and programs, such as "quantitative easing" so that no one can determine what is really going on and what the consequences will be. Nonetheless, one thing which comes through loud and clear is that the major financial interests are all lined up in expectation of making a killing out of the crisis. There cannot be very many indications that demonstrate this more clearly than the recent announcement that -- in the midst of a glut of oil around the world that is causing the price of oil to plummet -- the Jason Kenney government of Alberta is spending $1.5 billion, along with $6 billion in loan guarantees, to finance the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline.
They must step up their fight and occupy their position as leaders and decision-makers in this battle. The pressure on them will increase as the crisis unfolds. In essence it is that essential workers should simply be proclaimed heroes and get on with the job of saving lives. Their role is to salvage and repair the damage that has been inflicted on society because of the neo-liberal anti-social offensive. When this is over -- it is so predictable -- they will be called on to make more sacrifices in the name of austerity, debt servicing and whatever other catch phrases can be summoned against them. It is up to the working people to hold on to the
advances they make in terms of organizing and
fighting for solutions to
the problems they are encountering. This is what
everyone hoped would
happen after the SARS crisis but it became
"business as usual."
Building on the successes we are making today and
carrying them forward
in the post-crisis circumstances will be a true
contribution to
resolving the crisis in a way that serves the
working people and
prepares them for further advances.
This article was published in Article Link:   Website: www.cpcml.ca Email: editor@cpcml.ca |
Meanwhile workers
all across the country are contending with the
consequences of decades
of cuts, closures and privatization that have
stripped away the ability
of the health care system to adequately meet the
needs of the people.
Both those who are working to bring an end to the
crisis and those who
have become its victims, are raising their
demands, speaking in their
own name and demanding that their needs be met so
they can save the
situation and turn things around.