Albertans Mobilize Against Government's Irresponsible Actions
Protect Health! Save Lives!
- Peggy Askin and Peggy Morton -
Albertans
took immediate action following the announcement by the United
Conservative Party (UCP) government that it was dismantling Alberta's
public health measures adopted in response to COVID-19. Daily rallies
have taken place since July 30 at the provincial legislature in
Edmonton and the McDougall Centre in Calgary. The number of people
participating grows every day, and rallies are now also taking place in
Red Deer and Lethbridge. The rallies start at noon each day, and will
carry on until at least August 16, the date the government has
announced that it will no longer test for COVID-19 or require people
who are positive to quarantine.
 By
mid-August, Alberta will remove virtually all public health
measures, including contact tracing, masking on public transit,
isolation for those
who test positive, and testing for those who are asymptomatic or have
mild symptoms. People with severe symptoms can only get tested through
their physicians' office or clinics, but doctors have not even been
informed how they will acquire the needed tests, not to mention
that these arrangements violate every principle of infectious disease
control and public health norms. Isolation hotels will be shut down and
there will be no quarantine supports. In short, the government has
responded to rising case numbers by no longer counting them. It is a
shocking display of negligence and indifference to the well-being of
the people.
The UCP government claims to be following "science," despite the
fact that they provide no scientific evidence whatsoever for their
actions. Physicians, public health and infection control experts
are standing as one and speaking out as never before to demand that the
government reverse course at once and stop putting lives and health in
such danger. Health care workers and their unions, teachers, students
and parents, workers from many sectors of the economy, seniors, and
people from all walks of life are speaking out, attending rallies,
writing and calling their MLAs and the Chief Medical Officer of Health
and discussing in their unions and organizations what further measures
to take.
At the rallies, everyone is encouraged to come forward and share
their concerns, experience and knowledge. As a result, people are able
to create an informed opinion about the dangers posed by the government's
actions, and are taking responsibility to speak to others, share
information and encourage friends, families, neighbours and
co-workers to take action together.
People from all walks of life come forward to demand that the
government reverse its decision. The rallies are calling for Jason
Kenney to resign, and to Fire the UCP!
Most importantly, people are addressing what everyone can do together
in the face of the reckless and dangerous actions of the
government. They speak about
vulnerable people in their families who would be profoundly impacted by
the end of testing and quarantine. They speak of the need to support
and defend health care workers who are exhausted and without the energy
reserves for another wave. They express concern for the children under
12 who cannot be vaccinated, for others who cannot be
vaccinated or who are immuno-compromised. Workplace spread is also a
great concern, with no testing available, no income for workers to
quarantine, and employers free to exert pressure on workers to come to
work even if they or a close contact are symptomatic. Most of all the
concern is that no one will actually know whether someone is
infected or not unless the person becomes seriously ill.
According to the Criminal Code, every one is criminally
negligent who (a) in doing anything, or (b) in omitting to do anything
that it is his duty to do, shows wanton or reckless disregard for the
lives or safety of other persons. There
could be no clearer case than that of the Kenney government which is
dismantling Alberta's public health response to COVID-19 even as the
province enters its fourth wave, a significant section of the
population remains unvaccinated, and the number of new and active cases
continue to rise. The number of active cases of COVID-19 is rising
rapidly in Alberta. As of August 5, Alberta has the highest number of
active cases in Canada, and accounts for more than one in four active
cases in Canada. New cases, positivity rates, and the R-factor (the
number of people who will be infected by each new COVID-19 case) are
all growing, with test positivity rates spiralling.
The Alberta government does not recognize that it has a social
responsibility to the people. Its program is to satisfy the demands of
the rich who also consider the people dispensable. It openly
declares that everyone must fend for themselves. Even quarantine, a
measure which has been understood and practiced since at least the 14th
century,
has been discarded. It is speaking about the "Hinshaw Policy" -- named
after Alberta's Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr Deena Hinshaw -- a
crass move to deflect blame should the situation deteriorate further.
Amongst other demands, Albertans are saying testing must be fully
restored and funded; everyone who needs to quarantine or self-isolate
must be provided with all needed assistance and suffer no loss of
income; teachers, parents and the students themselves know how to make
schools safe and they must be the decisive voice in how the schools are
made safe.
The fact that the government cannot be charged and held criminally
responsible for failure to carry out its social responsibilities,
amounting to criminal negligence, speaks volumes about the necessity
for
democratic renewal, and for new forms where the people can exercise
control over their lives including such crucial decisions as these. It
shows the urgent need for putting an end to the situation in which the
rulers stand above the people and make laws where they can act with
impunity. This has become the decisive question facing Canadians
which demands a solution.
Edmonton 
 
 
Calgary
 
 
This article was published in
August 9, 2021 - No. 67
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/WF2021/Articles/WO08672.HTM
Website: www.cpcml.ca
Email: editor@cpcml.ca
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