Murray Mandryk: COVID-19 shows need for more integrity; less silliness

By Murray Mandryk

A year and a half into this COVID-19 pandemic reveals we’ve clearly been exposed.

We have been exposed to a way of thinking driven by political selfishness. Ill-informed silliness might now be a greater threat to our long-term well-being than COVID-19 itself.

Yes, we are allowed differing views on matters.

We live in a democracy that allows us to express political view of our choosing —something we are now doing during another federal election.

That said, this election campaign about selfish political opportunism seems a very good place to start this conversation.

The federal Liberal minority government called this campaign in the middle of summer and amidst a pandemic because it wanted to cash in on goodwill it gained by spending large sums of tax dollars to fight this pandemic.

Sure, one doesn’t expect more vulnerable minority governments to fulfill their four-year mandate or even attempt to do so.

But upon calling an election, one should expect all to campaign with integrity. That means honest accountability to public everywhere in this nation. Sadly, we are instead seeing as leaders flitter about the country, holding very few accountability sessions with reporters.

This lack of campaign integrity applies to all political stripes and certainly to Liberal leader Justin Trudeau, whose one stop in Saskatchewan saw him remain on the airport tarmac taking virtually no questions from local reporters.

One of those questions he clearly isn’t answering is why he is threatening to claw back health care funding specifically to Saskatchewan that allows private MRIs in a very limited way. Four other provinces do similar things with private MRIs, but they happen to be in places like Atlantic Canada where the Trudeau Liberals are legitimately fighting for seats.

Given that such silly selfish politics emanating from our political leadership, it might seem wrong to blame those in the public for simply following suit.

But 18 months into this COVID-19 fight, it should be obvious by now that selfish political views serve no one. Sadly, some still don’t seem to get it.

Recently, my long-time friend and colleague Rob Vanstone, sports editor of the Regina Leader-Post, wrote a brilliant and bold column suggesting the 3-0 Saskatchewan Roughriders are certainly at the bottom of league when it cones doing their part to fight COVID-19.

Vanstone note that Saskatchewan is only one of two CFL teams not requiring their fans to be double-vaccinated before going to games. With the Edmonton Elks now having postpone and potentially forfeit a game because of COVID-19 outbreaks, one might think this would be a very big deal to teams.

Noting that neither Premier Scott Moe’s Saskatchewan Party government, the Saskatchewan Health Authority nor the City of Regina have shown the leadership they should, Vanstone urged team itself to show a leadership role.

The column was mostly appreciation by the majority of you who have taken the personal responsibility to do your part and get vaccinated.

However, it also received too much response from those who argue that their right not to get vaccinated means they can simply carry on as they please. Evidently, they seem to believe that going unmasked and unvaccinated to large gatherings where they risk catching COVID-19 or spreading it to others.

Those arguing “my- body-my-choice” (one can only wonder if they truly apply that to other social issues) further argue this is their constitutional right. It isn’t. All public venues require health and safety restrictions, making it especially ridiculous to argue this affords them rights because the ‘Riders and Mosaic Stadium are publicly owned.

And if one still thinks your “freedom” allows you skirt around such rules, please feel free to pay your own “free” medicare bills or the hospital care of others you inflict.

Or perhaps just choose more reasonable and less selfish and silly.