[Canada] Canadian Politics Redux

[crazy canuck]

I'm not comfortable with the rich travelling to buy jabs from somewhere else in the world. Take your place in the queue or ostracism

What are you, some kind of Bolshevik?

I may be a bit old fashioned but I figure people who are paid a lot from public funds ought to be above reproach.  What he did was not illegal, but that isn't exactly the threshold to meet.

[Oexmelin]

I love the  fact that this guy's name translates to Whatshisface.

[Josephus]

Mark Machin, head of the CPP Investment Board, resigns after revelations emerged that he travelled to the United Arab Emirates in order to receive a Covid-19 vaccine.

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/02/26/canada-pension-ceo-resigns-covid-vaccine-471736

Curious story.  I'm not sure I agree he should have resigned (unless there is more to the story).  It's not like that story where the rich Vancouver couple travelled up to Beaver Creek Yukon to receive a vaccine - because in that case they lied about who they were.

Clearly Machin was able to travel to UAE because he is much wealthier than the average Canadian (apparently he was paid just over $5 million in 2020) - but does that make it wrong?  I know Canadians are discouraged from travelling abroad, but it isn't forbidden.  And travelling to receive a vaccine seems like a better reason to travel than to merely enjoy a sunny winter vacation.

Besides, I've heard of plenty of Canadian snowbirds being vaccinated in the US.  My aunt and uncle winter in Arizona and were vaccinated a month ago.

Now it's possible there's more to this story.  Maybe Machin didn't quarantine on his return like he is supposed to.  Maybe he did lie to someone, or traded on his position as head of the CPP Investment Board (he does have nearly a half trillion dollars of investments under his control), in order to get the vaccine.

Because otherwise I don't get it.

Yeah, it's not illegal; but I think at this point it is simply seen as not being "kosher." Canadians see this as a rich man jumping the queue. Doesn't look good ont he Investment Board.

[viper37]

No one to talk about the revelations on Trudeau the elder trying to actively sabotage Quebec's economy by inciting businesses to move to Ontario in 1976?

[Jacob]

No one to talk about the revelations on Trudeau the elder trying to actively sabotage Quebec's economy by inciting businesses to move to Ontario in 1976?

What is there to say?

[HVC]

Is this when Quebec instituted the language laws and companies understandably fled, or something new?

[Barrister]

Is this when Quebec instituted the language laws and companies understandably fled, or something new?

Apparently Trudeau Sr privately encouraged companies to flee.

[Grey Fox]

PET being a limitless asshole is not news.

[Barrister]

So in Alberta we had the government opened things up slightly on February 8.  Dine-in restaurants were open, and children's sports were allowed to have practices (no games) if they followed social distancing.  They identified what steps 2, and then 3 would be, and said that hospital case numbers would be the key metric.

So hospital numbers have indeed dropped by quite a bit - down to the level they identified for Step 3.  BUT... our case numbers stopped dropping, and have even creeped up a bit.

So yesterday they announced that libraries could open, and gyms and fitness studios could open - but only for low-intensity activities.  Yay.

[viper37]

PET being a limitless asshole is not news.

for us.
Canadians still seem to admire him beyond any reasonable measure.

[Barrister]

PET being a limitless asshole is not news.

for us.
Canadians still seem to admire him beyond any reasonable measure.

You clearly have not been to Alberta.

[crazy canuck]

PET being a limitless asshole is not news.

for us.
Canadians still seem to admire him beyond any reasonable measure.

How exactly do you define the word Canadians in that sentence?

You might want to look up his BC Salute to see how much mutual admiration there was.

[Barrister]

A detailed and lengthy read on Canada's flawed approach to acquiring vaccines.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-canadas-missed-shots-how-ottawas-covid-19-vaccine-promises-were-out-of/

Not really any single answer though.  CanSino vaccine deal was flawed from the beginning.  The committee to assess which vaccines to purchase only started meeting in June.  Other countries just signed better deals.  We couldn't convince anyone to manufacture here.  We just trusted in global supply chains too much.

Here's a "fun" map showing vaccination rates in Canada vs the US:



Edit: weird - the graphic shows up, but not any text.

But you get the drift - the scale at the top is vaccine doeses per 100 people, with the increments being 5, 10, 15 - up to 35.

The bars at the bottom compare the US state with the fewest doses per 100 (Alabama, 19.6) with the Canadian province with the most doses (PEI, 7.9).

[Grey Fox]

PET being a limitless asshole is not news.

for us.
Canadians still seem to admire him beyond any reasonable measure.

I think only Ontario still likes him. The west hates him because of the West board. We have our reasons.

[crazy canuck]

It is beyond me why people seem to think comparisons with what the Americans are doing is in any way a meaningful comparison.  If there is data regarding how a country in similar circumstances is doing, that would be a lot more persuasive.  But I suppose the problem is, because of our geographical size, there isn't really a good comparator - Australia maybe?