Earlier this yea, President Biden declared that the Covid-19 global pandemic is over despite the narrative from the World Health Organization and international community. Going back to Canada this week, I went to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's website to look for new topics to discuss on their main page. When I looked at the top left corner, the light bulb went off. There is a whole subpage dedicated to the pandemic, and the anxieties towards the pandemic become clear when looking at their public policy. The subpage shows the sense of societal significance that Covid has even over a year after a vaccine has been produced and distributed. Canada has had some of the most restrictive mandates in place in response to Covid, and mandates regarding international travel gained global attention with the truckers protest in Ottawa. But why?
Canada is a country with socialized healthcare, so it makes sense that they have political incentive to be overtly precautionary in an event like a global pandemic. I also noticed that Canada has a more organic conception of society, so they in fact feel more comfortable than Americans to let the government dictate the appropriate protocol for their cities. Every appeal to wearing a mask or getting the vaccine was focused on the protection of fellow man, young or elderly, healthy or sick, probably more so than an appeal to personal health. Many on my Canadian relatives called getting the vaccine a civil obligation, whereas here in the United States, it is usually regarded as a personal choice (except for public institutions). Lastly Canada also has the means to punish those who refuse to comply with mandates. Canadian criminal code is only held by the federal government, as opposed the United States where federal and state governments have their own criminal codes. In the states, that has led to states enacting harsh restrictions with neighboring states enacting little to no restrictions. This doesn't hold everyone accountable equally because while your state may have precautionary restrictions, they cannot deny access to someone from a less restrictive state to enter their borders. Canada can easily enforce the mandates they enact, and there is no question as to whether or not they have the power to do so.
Signing off,
Jake Hughes
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