January 31 2022 – The Prime Minister Responds – sort of…

“Almost ninety percent of Canadians are vaccinated.” So says the fearless leader of our great country, as he sits in isolation ‘working from home’.

I caught a bit of his press conference today. My head is still spinning in confusion. 

‘Get vaccinated’ Trudeau says from isolation at an undisclosed location with his family – they all have covid19.

What about the concerns around the vaccine? He was asked in the press conference. His answer to every question was the same: ‘Vaccines are safe and people need to get vaccinated.

I do wish the people concerned about the vaccine would understand – yet they won’t. By now those who are willing to get vaccinated are. 

Mr. Trudeau accused the protesters of violence. Yet there was no violence reported.  Still there are bad apples in every crowd, and the few bad apples have made the rest look bad. Our PM was sure to point them out.

In parliament Erin O’Toole asked him questions about the concerns of the people who  are surrounding Parliament Hill. Would he meet with them? No, said the leader of Canada, he dismissed the idea of facing the crowd of angry truckers. He would not be intimidated. Yet how can he solve this problem if he won’t even pretend to listen.

More questions flew toward the PM, “Trudeau has three vaccines, how is this the solution when vaccinated people are still testing positive – when will this end?”

“Get vaccinated and it will end,” was Justin’s reply. 

Yet almost ninety percent of Canadians are vaccinated! 

How is this making any sense? Maybe it’s time to admit that vaccines are not the end all. I couldn’t believe it when our so-called leader compared the protests in Ottawa and across this great nation to conspiracy theories and “tin foil hats”. People are hesitant but they are not wearing tinfoil hats! No, Mr. Prime Minister, these are Canadians with real concerns, Canadians who want their lives back. Many may be misguided but they are still real people.

As our fearful leader said, the vast majority of Canadians are vaccinated.

Those who  aren’t vaccinated will not be getting it, and belittling them and saying they are the “fringe” or “crazy” is not going to convince them that the vaccine is the answer.

At the same time, the Nazi flag is seen flying in the background of the protests in Ottawa. Terry Fox’s statue was used as a tool for the protesters and some of the people used it for their own advantage.

Sad days…

Blocking the border in Alberta is only hurting people in Calgary and unfair to the working class. 

But the vast majority of people who have descended upon Ottawa just want to be heard.

It’s time to listen.

Send out a minister of health to speak to the protesters if you can’t do it yourself Mr. Prime Minister. Let the people know why you can’t open things up. Explain to those people in common sense terms why they need to be patient. 

Or do they?

Britain is open, many parts of the USA have reopened. They say that Omicron has plateaued in Canada. If almost ninety percent of the population is vaccinated, why do we continue with restrictions upon our lives? I trust the people who are doing their job to protect us, but they need give us something to believe in.

Mr. Trudeau should not dismiss a segment of the population as ‘tin foil hat wearing conspiracy theorists’. Give them a reason to trust that the vaccines are the way out. You cannot ignore the concerns of the people forever, the frustrations are real.

“A fringe group that holds unacceptable views,” said Mr. Trudeau as the convoy approached Ottawa. I wonder if he realizes that it is much more than a fringe group? At the same time the convoy has brought out too many fringe elements. And that is the problem. 

We all want to see the end of covid, and the vaccine is the best way forward. I wish our leader could find a way to address the concerns of so many people who have had enough. He sounded like a stuck record with nothing of substance to say.

But the virus is real and our health care workers are struggling… 

How do we balance the concerns of everyone? How do we convince the truckers in Ottawa that they need to have patience?

How do we address the patients themselves?

Certainly not by our illustrious leader calling the protesters names. These are real people who have had enough.

We all have. 

It’s time to be kind again, to unite again. Mr. Trudeau could use a little kindness and be kind himself. It’s time to move forward and try to understand each other.