Alternative Finger Pointing

As of Trudeau’s last week’s address, there were 59,844 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 3,766 deaths, which continues to urge PM in prioritizing control of its’ spread, by placing the country under ongoing minimal movement orders, with no end date in sight. To emphasize, this is by no means an intention to discredit the seriousness of the virus, however if we were going to start addressing the numbers of caused deaths, then, according to Canadian Vital Statistics Death Database (CVSDD) an average of 1O people die a day by suicide, of the approx. 4000 deaths in total each year, while, another 90% are known to be living with a mental health problem or illness. Yet, as the issue is evidently conspicuous, it remains to be overlooked for decades. The big question is why? After all, shouldn’t the government be prioritizing all the aspects of health, and economic prosperity, before it begins to worry about the global status quo?

Equally, the use of alcohol and other drugs has been identified as another significant factor related to suicide through multiple pathways. Yet, what makes the logic behind such neglect more difficult to comprehend, is the fact, that even under such circumstances, the government has still allowed big corporations, supplying alcohol beverage products, such as the “LCBO” to continue and operate as an “essential” need, while self-isolated walks in the park and social services were forced to shut down. Moreover, even though, a leading cause of death being mental health among young people is known to be a preventable injury, the federal government continues to further fail in enhancing prevention initiatives. According to The Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC), the total budget for improvements of mental health and addiction services, totaled $25 million in 2019, with the expectancy to last for the next 1O years across Canada. Of course, for some such may seem celebratory, but that is only until its’ significance is lost, in comparison to PM Trudeau contribution, who, only last week, announced $850 Million commitment towards WHO Organization, as he espoused a justifiable narrative, calling it “efforts against a global fight”. Nonetheless, such donation, continues to lack transparency, as the top WHO representative refuses to testify in front of Parliament, for the third time.

Consequently, as evidence proclaims, there are certainly many concerns that should be addressed by the government, when it comes to the principle of truth. After all, it is surely within our rights as Canadian citizens, to understand what our individual income taxes are being used for; especially as the primary focus today seems to be global. Either way, turning a blind eye and choosing to focus the attention on criticizing our closest ally, President Donald Trump, along with his efforts to prioritize the citizens of United States, is not going to solve our situation. After all, as Canadians, it would be much more productive to worry about what our federal government considers to be “priority” as one thing is for certain: it is anything, but his own, at least for now.

E. Paris Cicinyte – lnternational Affairs Consultant