Columns and Letters

Letter: A “Just Recovery”

Dear Editor,
    We continue to hear and read complaints about our government and fellow Canadians about what I would call minor issues, but we don’t hear enough about what we want to see in a post COVID-19 world. So many people are still short-sighted and paranoid about other citizens’ physical distancing behaviour, wearing a mask (or not) in public, but we have much more important issues to address. We seem to be so concerned about ourselves rather than the greater population when it is the greater population that allows us to live such an amazingly fortunate life. It is the greater population who pay their taxes that provide all the wonderful facilities and services we have.


    This pandemic has occurred at a crucial time in human history. It has forced most of us to isolate ourselves, physically distance, put our economy on hold, and allow all of us to experience clean air above all our cities. It has found a way of controlling almost all our non-essential urges including travel (no matter what mode), visiting, shopping, sporting events, entertainment like concerts and movies, etc.
    The lack of preparedness of the health care system is obvious. The entire system needs additional facilities, staff, equipment, and financial support. Mental health care in Canada is an oxymoron as well for the same reasons I just stated. Many people were already in dire mental straits, which lead to even further economic and social complications for them. These citizens need help and not three or four months down the road. Some will have already committed suicide or overdosed in that time frame.
    We need to put workers, communities, and Indigenous people first. Now is the time to invest in retraining displaced workers to build affordable housing with a net-zero carbon footprint, and to keep promises that every First Nations community will have access to clean water and electricity. Things like clean water for all Canadians is critical. Without clean water you cannot keep yourself and your family safe, but that is currently the case for tens of thousands of Canadians.
    Long-term care facilities have been an issue for decades, but now they are right up and in our faces. Imagine instead of considering the “health issue” we consider it a “seniors’” issue like seniors’ pensions. Perhaps the federal government could assume responsibility for building proper long-term care facilities and staffing them appropriately with attendants. The provincial government would only retain responsibility for medical staffing at these facilities. If the Quebec government can mandate a three-month course for long-term care workers and then pay them $25/hour so can the rest of the country. This model would ensure consistency from coast to coast to coast rather than the massive inconsistencies that took place in Ontario and Quebec that had 94 per cent of the total COVID-19 deaths. Eighty-two per cent of those occurred in poorly-managed long-term care homes where military assistance was required.
    A living wage for every citizen (especially essential truck drivers, grocery store employees, etc.) is absolutely critical. Tax laws protecting the extremely wealthy desperately need to be changed in order to eliminate multi-million-dollar bonuses and offshore investments. Allowing Canadians to invest in offshore accounts for the sole purpose of tax evasion has to stop.
    Exorbitant wages and benefits such as stock options for corporate CEOs (and top executives) are absolutely ridiculous. Dollars earned from investments are currently only taxed at 50 per cent of dollars earned through employment. It is these individuals who hire accountants to use every legal loophole in order to not pay their fair share of taxes. This practice hurts all of us because this results in significantly less money (billions) in the collective coffers that pay for our collective services and facilities.
    The majority of Canadians want no more corporate giveaways, especially to big oil. It is simply not a reasonable use of taxpayer money to keep giving huge handouts (billions) to the oil and gas industry, especially since we must meet our climate targets.
    I firmly believe we have this opportunity to take stock of what is really important to all of humanity. Many citizens think the economy is the most important thing to focus on for the recovery, but I don’t believe that to be the most significant. I believe in a “Just Recovery” instead, which means the many environmental and social issues that have risen to the surface during this pandemic demand a much-needed change.
    Paul Strome
    Cheticamp

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 


 




 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


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