Canadians have never seen anyone so well positioned at the moment than prime minister Justin Trudeau. Popping in an out of Rideau Cottage like a cuckoo in a clock, the PM has the stage to himself. The news media await him. In his self-imposed isolation and working from home, to care for his wife and family, he is setting the scene for what can be a very long lock-down of our country.
It should be explained that the ‘catbird’ seat is an idiomatic American political expression for being in a position of importance when needed. And Trudeau has full advantage of the situation.
The first challenge to our government is to lower the curve of incidence of the disease while science struggles to find a cure. And next we have to keep the economy from a complete collapse. We will be paying for this pandemic for years to come.
What worries me is the number of my fellow Canadians who are falling through the cracks in what are still elitist solutions. Trudeau, his finance minister Morneau and Ontario premier Ford are all elitists and do not seem to understand the real needs of a varied society. I do not want to keep beating a dying horse here but they do not seem to be aware that there are marginalized people out there who are looking more desperate all the time.
Looking at what detail is available in some of these elitist solutions, is not a pleasing experience. Take the deferral of mortgages. That sure is a nice touch for the couple who were going to be evicted tomorrow. The only problem is that they still have to pay eventually and there will be additional costs for more interest. You do not get the lowest interest rates on mortgages.
At least we are in better shape than Americans. It looks like that jerk Trump has driven the American bus straight into a full-blown depression. The richest country in the world has been felled by a coronavirus.
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Copyright 2020 © Peter Lowry
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