A rchive Date
[ 10-05-2020 ]
Category
[ International Relations ]
sub-Categoy
[ Canada ]
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[https://torontosun.com/opinion/columnists/goldstein-our-leaders-fretted-about-racism-more-than-covid-19
Our leaders fretted about racism more than COVID-19
Lorrie Goldstein
May 9, 2020 7:47
One of the most infuriating blunders of Canada’s political class in the ongoing pandemic was obsessing about alleged massive societal racism against Canadians of Chinese origin, when the real crisis was the looming carnage of COVID-19.
Politicians and public health officials overestimated the threat posed by racism, while underestimating the threat posed by the coronavirus, in particular the threat to the elderly in long-term care homes.
That’s become a real national disgrace as opposed to an imaginary one.
More than 80% of Canada’s 4,600 COVID-19 deaths to date have occurred in long-term care, which, apparently, no one saw coming.
Coun. Kristyn Wong-Tam, vice-chair of the Toronto board of health, predicted on Jan. 29 that: “There will probably be more harm caused by racism, xenophobia, discrimination, harassment, racial taunts directed specifically to the Chinese Canadian community and others of Asian descent, than we will be harmed by the coronavirus.”
Mayor John Tory and Toronto medical officer of health Eileen de Villa at the same media conference likewise denounced racism while minimizing the threat of COVID-19.
Tory tweeted on Jan. 29: “Standing with our Chinese community against stigmatization and discrimination, and reminding residents that, as our health care professionals have informed us, the risk of coronavirus to our community remains low.”
In late January, parents in York region and a private school in Markham advocating two weeks of self-isolation for students and families recently returned from China, were condemned as racists.
By the time it became federal policy, it was too late to do much good.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appeared at a Chinese banquet hall in Scarborough on Feb. 1, warning about discrimination, while the Public Health Agency of Canada assured Canadians the risk of COVID-19 was low.
On Feb. 11, Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott, federal Health Minister Patty Hajduk and Tory visited a dim sum restaurant, urging people to eat at Chinese restaurants.
Within weeks, all restaurants were shut down by government decree because of COVID-19.
On Jan. 29, Canada’s chief public health officer, Theresa Tam, testifying before the Commons health committee, lavished praise on China for containing the spread of COVID-19, while assuring Canadians cases here would be “rare”.
Then she focused on her big worry:
“I am concerned about the growing number of reports of racism and stigmatizing comments on social media directed to people of Chinese and Asian descent related to 2019-nCoV coronavirus … Everyone has a part to play in preventing the spread of the virus … Racism, discrimination and stigmatizing language are unacceptable and very hurtful. These actions create a divide of Us vs. Them. Canada is a country built on the deep-rooted values of respect, diversity and inclusion.”
One of the most infuriating blunders of Canada’s political class in the ongoing pandemic was obsessing about alleged massive societal racism against Canadians of Chinese origin, when the real crisis was the looming carnage of COVID-19.
Politicians and public health officials overestimated the threat posed by racism, while underestimating the threat posed by the coronavirus, in particular the threat to the elderly in long-term care homes.
That’s become a real national disgrace as opposed to an imaginary one.
More than 80% of Canada’s 4,600 COVID-19 deaths to date have occurred in long-term care, which, apparently, no one saw coming.
Coun. Kristyn Wong-Tam, vice-chair of the Toronto board of health, predicted on Jan. 29 that: “There will probably be more harm caused by racism, xenophobia, discrimination, harassment, racial taunts directed specifically to the Chinese Canadian community and others of Asian descent, than we will be harmed by the coronavirus.”
Mayor John Tory and Toronto medical officer of health Eileen de Villa at the same media conference likewise denounced racism while minimizing the threat of COVID-19.
Tory tweeted on Jan. 29: “Standing with our Chinese community against stigmatization and discrimination, and reminding residents that, as our health care professionals have informed us, the risk of coronavirus to our community remains low.”
In late January, parents in York region and a private school in Markham advocating two weeks of self-isolation for students and families recently returned from China, were condemned as racists.
By the time it became federal policy, it was too late to do much good.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appeared at a Chinese banquet hall in Scarborough on Feb. 1, warning about discrimination, while the Public Health Agency of Canada assured Canadians the risk of COVID-19 was low.
On Feb. 11, Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott, federal Health Minister Patty Hajduk and Tory visited a dim sum restaurant, urging people to eat at Chinese restaurants.
Within weeks, all restaurants were shut down by government decree because of COVID-19.
On Jan. 29, Canada’s chief public health officer, Theresa Tam, testifying before the Commons health committee, lavished praise on China for containing the spread of COVID-19, while assuring Canadians cases here would be “rare”.
Then she focused on her big worry:
“I am concerned about the growing number of reports of racism and stigmatizing comments on social media directed to people of Chinese and Asian descent related to 2019-nCoV coronavirus … Everyone has a part to play in preventing the spread of the virus … Racism, discrimination and stigmatizing language are unacceptable and very hurtful. These actions create a divide of Us vs. Them. Canada is a country built on the deep-rooted values of respect, diversity and inclusion.”
Of course blaming Canadians of Chinese origin or the people of China for COVID-19, which has occurred in Canada but at nowhere near the crisis levels our politicians described, is racist.
China’s dictators who hid the severity of COVID-19 until it was too late to stop its global spread, were responsible.
Our governments were responsible for ignoring the lessons they should have learned from the 2003 SARS epidemic and 2009 H1N1 epidemic about basic preventive measures such as stockpiling adequate personal protection equipment for front-line workers.
The problem with our politicians is that they’re so obsessed with seeing racism everywhere that, like someone who only has a hammer, they treat every issue like a nail.
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