Check It Out: Speak up when things are out of order

By Joan Janzen

It's been reported that when Einstein was a young boy, he was a late talker, and his parents were worried. Finally, one day at supper, he blurted out a complete sentence: "The soup is too hot!" His parents were so relieved, but they asked him why he hadn't spoken up before. Young Einstein replied, "Until now, everything was in order."

Young Einstein made a valid observation that still holds true today. Canadians generally remain quiet and compliant when everything seems to be in order. However, the need for people to voice their observations to their local government representatives becomes increasingly necessary whenever Canadians have concerns.

A Global News article by David Baxter had a headline that read, "Medically assisted death for mental illness delayed until 2027." The Liberal government decided to delay expansion of Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) for those solely suffering from mental illness. In the article, Health Minister Mark Holland said all of his provincial and territorial counterparts have told him their health system is not ready for the expansion.

A poll shows that the majority of Canadians say the expansion should not occur without improving access to mental health care first.

Faytene Grasseschi from Faytene TV described MAID as an "evolving policy." Her guest Rebecca Vachon observed, "It's clear that Canadians are worried that those who are vulnerable and marginalized because of disabilities, poverty, or other factors often feel they're left with no choice except MAID."

For that reason, Faytene suggested that MAID should be patient-requested, not suggested by health providers, because of the threat it poses to vulnerable people. Canadians can point this out to legislators, emphasizing the need for all options for care to be on the table.

She also noted that when a situation is out of order, it presents an opportunity to fight for one another's mental health. It's an opportunity to build a community where people feel valued, loved and needed. When government policies are off track, we can step up and be the change Canada needs.

The Government of Canada is currently undergoing public national consultations on the topic of MAID expansions, which are expected to end in January, 2025. "If you care about this issue, now is the time to engage so your voice is heard," Faytene advised.

A second topic that appears out of order in Canada was recently addressed on stage by Prime Minister Trudeau. Taxpayers paid for him to fly to Brazil and speak these words regarding the carbon tax.

"It's really easy to say let's put climate change as a lesser priority when you're in short-term survival, focusing on how you'll pay the rent and buying groceries for the kids. That's something that is instinctive - to hunker down and wait for it to blow over. But we can't do that around climate change," the Prime Minister said. But there's more …

"People don't want to hear about paying a little more for an electric car so they'll be protecting the environment; they can't afford an electric car right now. This sense of affordability is in direct contrast with our moral responsibility to protect the planet, and that is something, unfortunately, that's been amplified … Propaganda and misinformation and disinformation and flat-out lies scare people into saying we have to take care of our household budget first and environment second," he continued. Unfortunately, at this juncture, the Prime Minister kept on speaking.

"That's one of the things we've really tried to tackle in Canada. Because as we talk about global collective action we have a first responsibility to citizens in our own countries. Because, if they're not on board with us stepping up to climate change, then they will withdraw political support from parties that are focused on doing that, and that's the challenge we have to tackle," he concluded.

His words send a clear message: the ability of Canadians to feed, cloth and shelter their families is not as important as enforcing the carbon tax and muzzling any dissenting voices about the carbon tax. Those are his two main priorities, which are obviously completely out of order.

Franco Terrazzano from the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) spoke about the carbon tax in realistic terms. He reported it cost $283 million to administer the tax from 2019 to 2024. The GST on the carbon tax will cost Canadians $400 million this year. Not to mention how it increases the cost of everything you buy.

And yet the government claims the carbon tax is revenue neutral. Franco explained why that's not possible: "There's no way the government can impose a carbon tax, charge sales tax on it, and then skim hundreds of millions to pay bureaucrats, and somehow make you better off with rebates."

The folks at the CTF advise Canadians to email their MP, and tell them you are not going to prioritize the government's obsession with the carbon tax over your ability to feed, cloth and shelter your family.

Franco encouraged CTF supporters saying, "Your voice is starting to break through and politicians are starting to see if they want to get elected they have to cut taxes."

Even as a toddler, Einstein made a brilliant observation: even if you've never used your voice before when things are out of order, you need to speak up.