Empty carping from city hall opposition
La Presse and Radio-Canada are featuring items about city hall opposition complaining about city deficits, but once again, I don’t see one word from Lionel Perez about how he could’ve managed things any better when a pandemic struck.
I am so tired of political grandstanding. Earlier today, the CBC report on vaccines had to include a kvetch from Erin O’Toole, who seems as vapid as his predecessors at the head of Canada’s Conservatives, saying Trudeau had mishandled the matter, and you want to shake these people and demand how they think they would’ve done better.
If an opposition politician has a reasoned argument or position against the party in power, it’s one thing. Just carping for the sake of getting mentioned in the media is bullshit.
Clément 09:24 on 2020-12-08 Permalink
And meanwhile, one of O’Toole’s MP (Derek Sloan) sponsors an antivax petition and somehow, O’Toole manages to blame Trudeau for his MP’s irresponsible behaviour.
jeather 09:58 on 2020-12-08 Permalink
And you thought it might be parody.
Clément 10:24 on 2020-12-08 Permalink
As was suggested on Reddit, the Beaverton should sue O’Toole for copyright infringement.
Daniel 11:17 on 2020-12-08 Permalink
It seems transparent and, yes, vapid. But I have to assume that it’s working on some segment? Doesn’t make it less disappointing.
A better line of useful criticism would be the bazillions of dollars the government has spent. Sure, a lot of it had to be spent. Most of it, probably! But that’s at least a better line of inquiry than “what is your to-the-minute timeline for a bunch of vaccines that haven’t yet been approved or delivered?”
Kate 11:31 on 2020-12-08 Permalink
Exactly. These weak politicians leap on aspects of the evolving situation that nobody could be expected to predict. Criticizing someone in power for not knowing things before anyone else, or not being decisive when a situation is still in flux, is so irritating. But you’re right, Daniel – if a person is already disposed to hate Plante or Trudeau, it doesn’t matter if the criticism makes any sense, they’re likely to buy it.
jeather 11:40 on 2020-12-08 Permalink
I don’t think Trudeau has covered himself in glory, but I don’t think he’s been terrible. He’s done some things well, other things poorly, but on the specific question of the vaccines I think he’s probably done as well as could be expected given the limitations on production within Canada.
Bill Binns 11:53 on 2020-12-08 Permalink
When these emergencies hit, it’s rarely the politicians currently in power that are to blame for being unprepared. We have no “rainy day fund” and it’s pouring. I bet that 50 million Coderre spent on the now disappeared string of signs and Adirondack chairs that was supposed to lead tourists from the Old Port to the mountain. Or the 40 million spent on twinkle lights for the Jacque Cartier. The 700 million we spent bailing out the geniuses at UQAM after Ilot Voyageur would surely be useful now.
Kate 12:13 on 2020-12-08 Permalink
The reason Canada doesn’t have vaccine production capability any more lies with Stephen Harper’s cuts, but I haven’t seen Trudeau wasting time putting the Tories down for their disdain for science.
Tim S. 13:33 on 2020-12-08 Permalink
I suspect both Liberals and Conservatives are equally responsible for the mess. I gather it was actually Mulroney’s fault we don’t have domestic vaccine production:
https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/we-took-our-eye-off-the-ball-how-canada-lost-its-vaccine-production-capacity-1.5204040
Also, I don’t know all the details of health care administration over the years, but how much of the crisis in our hospitals goes back to Lucien Bouchard and Paul Martin?
That said, my attempts to keep track of what’s going on in other countries suggest that places with more robust health care systems just seemed to be a little more complacent about the virus a little longer, and ended up in the same place anyways.
Uatu 19:15 on 2020-12-08 Permalink
You don’t even have to go back to Bouchard. Fatty Barrette’s austerity measures did a big number on hospitals just a couple of years ago
Kevin 00:08 on 2020-12-09 Permalink
It’s kludge on kludge on kludge. Systems that are too large for any one person to understand, and armies of bureaucrats working at cross-purposes.
david145 13:09 on 2020-12-09 Permalink
On the austerity bit, tell me something isn’t coming when you look at a chart like this: https://twitter.com/stephanebruyere/status/1330956847906480129/photo/1