Garnett Genuis writes: Federal vaccine mandates
I continue to express support for ending federal vaccine mandates, especially the truckers’ mandate. Preventing thousands of truckers from bringing goods across the border will have serious consequences for all Canadians, regardless of their vaccination status. Since truckers work alone and already have to follow provincial rules regarding masking and distancing in public places, adding a new mandate for them at a time when other countries are moving back to normal did not make any sense.
While supporting calls to end this and all federal mandates, it is important to underline that I do not and never have supported illegal blockades. I have been disappointed to see a small number of people who oppose mandates resort to blockading critical infrastructure. Mandates have hurt our supply chains. Blockading critical infrastructure will hurt them even more.
Politically, those who support blockades are doing severe damage to their own cause. The Prime Minister would much rather be talking about illegal blockades by a few, instead of confronting the fact that tens of thousands of Canadians have come out to peacefully protest the severe negative impacts on their lives that flow from his policies.
In my own statements and actions, I have always been consistent in opposing illegal blockades, whether initiated by the “no mandates” movement, the “idle no more” movement, or any other group. Everyone has a right to protest based on their own belief systems and should be given the space to do so, but blockading critical infrastructure is not an appropriate way to advance even legitimate grievances. The Prime Minister should be seeking to promote dialogue and respond to legitimate concerns, while supporting law enforcement to address threats to critical infrastructure. Here is what I said on this in the House of Commons on February 7th, specifically regarding protests in Ottawa:
“I think it is critically important that people are able to protest and that we minimize the negative impact on the lives of people in this city. There should be effective dialogue, between protesters and the city that allows necessary access and transportation to occur. I think that dialogue can take place if the Prime Minister plays a constructive role in bringing down the temperature.”
Sadly, rather than bringing down the temperature, the Prime Minister continues to demonize people with legitimate concerns, escalate the situation, and refuse to reflect on the policy failures that have led us to this point. He would rather be in a tense stand-off with a few blockaders than address the legitimate concerns of peaceful protestors.
Public health authorities in Canada and around the world are saying that now is the time to move away from vaccine mandates in general. Most people are already vaccinated, and extra “pressure” is unlikely to impact those who up to now have chosen not to. After the highly contagious but milder Omicron variant, virtually all of us have either been vaccinated, had COVID-19, or both.
In this midst of this situation, now is the time more than ever to recommit to time-honoured Canadian practises of respecting others, listening to those with different points of view, appreciating the freedom that others have to choose their own path, and expressing policy concerns boisterously but peacefully. And, now is the time for the government to put forward a science-based plan for ending restrictions so that life can get back to normal.
