, 04.09.2021 09:19 AM

My latest: Trudeau’s Canada, plague central

Keep out.

Of Canada, that is. That was the rather extraordinary message from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this week: if you’re American, you should just stay away from Canada.

Here’s the official notice the CDC released on Wednesday: “Travellers should avoid all travel to Canada. Because of the current situation in Canada, even fully vaccinated travelers may be at risk for getting and spreading COVID-19 variants and should avoid all travel to Canada.”

“Avoid all travel to Canada.”

Now, governments issue warning about travel all the time, and not just because of the coronavirus. Travel advisories get released when there’s natural disasters, crime waves, and unstable governments.

But this one was a bit unusual — unprecedented, even. So said an American expert.

Dr. Eric Feigel-Ding is a high-profile epidemiologist and health economist. He’s been at Harvard and Johns Hopkins, so you could say he knows a bit about what he’s talking about.

Here’s what Dr. Feigel-Ding says when talking about Canada and the CDC’s statement:

“Wow.” (That’s a quote.)

“CDC has just issued…a warning against all travel to Canada,” Feigel-Ding wrote on Twitter.

As the Trudeau regime’s online winged monkeys hurriedly pointed out, a U.S. government caution against travel to Canada has been in place for months. But what made this one notable, Feigel-Ding wrote, is the CDC’s concern about so-called COVID-19 variants rampaging in communities across Canada.

Said he: “[The advisory] is about variants in Canada…Notably, CDC is very worried about new variants and warns ‘even fully vaccinated may be at risk’.”

He continued: “Given that #B117 British variant already in the US, the CDC must have issued the new variants/vaccination warning for the new [variant] outbreak emerging in Western Canadian provinces, especially BC.”

In this writer’s experience, Justin Trudeau’s PMO doesn’t give a tinker’s damn about bad coverage in Canada. They know that, if editorial opinion mattered for much, they wouldn’t have won re-election in 2019.

They do care, however — profoundly, deeply — about perceptions about them from abroad. Back in 2015, for example, this writer made some critical remarks about Trudeau to a British newspaper. A future ambassador actually called me to ask me not to do it again. (I declined.)

So, the CDC advisory, and comments like Dr. Eric Feigel-Ding’s, upset Trudeau’s fart-catchers a great deal. Unfortunately for them, there’s been quite a bit of that, lately.

Edward Alden is a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. This week, he wrote an essay in the Globe and Mail and lambasted what he called the Trudeau government’s “anemic vaccine rollout.”

Britain’s respected Guardian newspaper slammed Trudeau for his government’s “fumbles” and “sluggish distribution” of vaccines — and for taking vaccines from the Third World. Similarly, the New York Times reported this a few weeks ago: “As Britain and even the United States, despite its problems, continue to rise in the rankings, Canada has dropped well down the list, sandwiched this week between Bangladesh and Romania.”

Meanwhile, the Washington Post was even more unimpressed: “An administration once celebrated as a global model for handling COVID-19 now finds itself on the receiving end of growing global pity, as it becomes an example of a nation getting vaccines very wrong indeed,” wrote the Post’s Canadian columnist.

Compared to other developed nations, he wrote, “Canada is not vaccinating at anywhere near world-class levels.”

Don’t despair, fellow Canadians. When it comes to doing poorly — really, really poorly — to the point that our nearest and closest ally is compelled to urge people to stay away from us, however?

In that category, Justin Trudeau’s Canada is truly world-class.

Warren Kinsella was Special Assistant to Jean Chretien

41 Comments

  1. irreversable road map to freedom says:

    Canada is burning from coast to coast to coast. Vaccination clinics are being cancelled because the Feds can’t get it together. That is a fact. Meanwhile PM Blackface and his slimeball cabinet of enablers choose to spend the next four days fiddling around on the internet making idle chit chat with partisan rubes at a so called “policy convention.” Canadians are going to have to reconcile themselves that there is probably never going to be a recovery in this country. We are losing the fight and its unlikely that things will turn around.

  2. This is what you get when you’re doing your level best. Trouble is, caged monkeys with canvas and paint brushes could do a better job than this Prime Minister and especially THIS PMO. If they ever film another Titanic sequel, I hope they reflexively go with our own Captain Katie Smith…

    • jsa says:

      Caged monkeys could definitely do a better job, Ronald. Just not so sure about Singh, O’Toole or Scheer.

      • Ronald O'Dowd says:

        jsa,

        Frankly, you and so many others. The Liberals badly need to spend at least four years in the penalty box, thanks to SNC, WE and unnecessary COVID-19 deaths due to slow vaccine procurement.

        I hope the CPC gets a majority but as a Red Tory and a Progressive, I could live perfectly fine with the CPC in a minority situation propped up by one party. Of course, Erin definitely won’t want that. So, in the final analysis, he will have to prove himself in the debates and the campaign to get that majority. In other words, he had better follow a template that is at least as good as Legault’s, who won the province with his performance. That’s not my job. That’s DeLorey’s job.

        • jsa says:

          Member of the Opposition is a slackers dream job… If I was in the mess Justin and the girls are in at the moment, I’d be more than happy to let anyone, who wants to, takeover.

          On Covid, at least, I fall into the don’t change horses gang of right wingers. Which is where I feel anyone who thinks conservatively should be right now.

  3. The Doctor says:

    Cool, I’ve never lived in a pariah state before.

  4. Tim says:

    We’re not doing that bad. We’re ahead of Germany, Spain, France, basically the whole EU plus Japan, Australia, South Korea and many more. For a middle power without domestic vaccine production, we’re doing pretty ok from my point of view.

    • irreversible road map to freedom says says:

      Worst national response to a crisis in Canadian history.

    • PhilinLondon says:

      Let’s celebrate incompetent mediocrity

      • You don’t have to celebrate it, but don’t treat it like it’s the greatest disaster in Canadian history.

        • irreversible road map to freedom says says:

          Although it is inching towards the greatest disaster in Canadian history… Presently about 1/3 of the deaths in WW1. Surpassed total casualties by about 5x.

    • Ted says:

      This piling on is getting on my nerves.
      Pick a news outlet. Hate a politician.

      It’s a virus, scientists are doing their best. Politicians are trying to make good decisions based on many factors.

      Justin Trudeau could have evoked the Emergencies Act early on but his Provincial counterparts said no need. Did we need to? Who knows?

      The vaccines are here. I’m getting my first on Monday. Let’s hope they work.

      • Brine says:

        Ted and Scot:
        Be honest. If this were Harper who had so badly eff’d up vaccine procurement we’d never hear the end of it in the media, and you would be apoplectic.

        • Ted says:

          I don’t think, much as I hate them, the Liberals fucked up vaccine procurement. To my mind we fucked up vaccine manufacturing. So I’m pissed off at Stephen Harper and Jean Chretien. So what? We have to play the hand we’ve been dealt. It’s the bullshit cacophony that I can’t stand.

          • Peter Williams says:

            Ted

            I’d cut Justin some slack, except he endlessly brags about what a great job he did on vaccine procurement; e.g. getting more vaccines than any other leader.

            When in fact, most of what he did was secure options to buy vaccines if any came available.

            Justin blew his own horn, now he can take responsibility for his poor performance.

    • Walter says:

      Canada is improving.
      We are now #52 (up from 60th) in vaccines distributed, behind countries such as Germany, Spain, France, the EU average. I suspect Trudeau will be declared the best leader in the World when Canada breaks the top 50. He will then get a haircut and shave, call an election, and be promoted by all media outlets across the country.

      • irreversible road map to freedom says says:

        Canada is falling apart. Canada is in a shambles. There is no hope in the offing.

    • Jeff says:

      Hey Scoty,
      Weren’t we supposedto get 10,000,000 doses this week? Put your $ where your mouth is!!!

  5. Ronald O'Dowd says:

    Carney pledges support for Trudeau Liberals. No kidding. (Actually, kinda hard to become the next leader without doing that.)

    It’ll be OK Chrystia. Just take a Valium and have a lie down. Things will look better in the morning. Just tell this Prime Minister that you’ll need another grease order for them skids!

  6. Gilbert says:

    We’re doing better than South Korea? How is that possible? In South Korea there has never been a national lockdown, experts never told people not to wear masks, and there was mass testing far earlier than in Canada.

    In South Korea there are 676 new cases. This is a high number for South Korea, but it’s not high for Canada. In Canada there are over 1,000,000 cases. South Korea has 108,000. South Korea has a higher population, 51.7 million vs. 38 million in Canada.

    However, it’s true Canada has tested more. South Korea has carried out 8.1 million tests and Canada 28.7 million. Even so, I believe South Korea has performed better than Canada.

    How is Canada ahead of South Korea? Are we talking about the vaccines? Well, in South Korea there have been deaths associated with people who got the vaccine. This may be the reason that many are not in a rush to get vaccinated here.

    • Martin says:

      And to say we are doing better than Australia is a flat out lie. We have 24 times more cases per million that they do. Again, math. Seems to be a ongoing problem with the apologists.

  7. hugh says:

    I’m disgusted.
    We couldn’t have a proper funeral for my brother a year ago (cancer, not COVID) but hey, we all have sacrifices to make for the greater good. At the same time Justin could (of course) flout the rules for his own family visit- way to set the example!

    My friend’s father just passed away from COVID yesterday, needlessly (in my opinion).

    Maybe Justin can “reflect” on things like that and try to do better

    • RKJ says:

      Hugh, my sincere sympathies. It is so much more difficult to properly remember those who pass away during this time.

  8. If the federal government had somehow been able to bring in vaccines faster it would have allowed Ford and Kenney’s incompetent handling of the lock downs to be less devastating.

    • Quo vadis says:

      There is a huge gap between vaccine delivery in the U.S. compared to Canada (72.1% vs. 27.9%), this is the responsibility of the federal government. The much gap in vaccine administration is much smaller (77.2 % vs. 73.6%), the responsibility of provincial governments. That accounts for Canada’s slow pace of vaccinations.

      Do your home work before posting your partisan BS.

      • I am not refurring to vaccine administration, although it is not clear they are handling the delicate balance between preventing deaths and preventing spread well, but to not locking down a couple weeks ago to prevent the hospital overload that the simulations had predicted. Also Ford still hasn’t implemented maditory sick leave.

  9. Peter Williams says:

    Overheard recently in the PMO:

    Trudeau: Katie, I have a great idea. I solve the GG issue, save money by not renovating 24 Sussex, and lower my carbon foot print.

    Telford: What idea?

    Trudeau: I’m going to appoint myself as Governor General and hold two jobs. I get a bigger house, so 24 Sussex and Rideau cottage are not needed.

    Trudeau: It will also solve the staff issue, because people know I am very kind to all who work for me. And of course Canadians will approve as all the people of Canada love me.

    Trudeau: I really do need a bigger house, I’m getting tired of this little cottage.

    Hope I didn’t ruin anyone’s day.

  10. Ronald O'Dowd says:

    You won’t see me writing Justin Trudeau dialogue. I would hate to think that I actually had any clue what his curious mindset is all about.

    • Quo vadis says:

      35.3% of Americans have received at least one dose of a vaccine, compared to 18.4% of Canadians; our cases are down 11% from their peak, US cases are down 78% from theirs; our 7-day rolling average of new cases is now running ahead of the US’

      But go ahead and blame others for this…

    • Quo vadis says:

      California plans to reopen on June 5. At their current daily rate, they will have administered an additional 24M doses by then. Canada has 9 million doses arriving over the same period

      But hey, let’s blame the provinces…

    • Quo vadis says:

      Appologies, not sure why my two comments appear as reply to your comment. They were directed at Darwin.

  11. Ronald O'Dowd says:

    My first AZ Canada shot is next Wednesday.

  12. Yet Another Calgarian says:

    Not covid related but Politico has a story up about Trudeau threatening to pull funding for the Halifax Security Forum over them giving the President of Taiwan an award.

    He is more responsible to the Chinese politburo than he is to Canadians. He needs to go.

  13. Martin says:

    Math again. If Toronto were a country, the infection rate would have been 12th in the world on Saturday, 2.5 times the rate of the US that we smugly like to refer to as a petri dish.

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