By: Surjit Singh Flora
The COVID-19 epidemic, which began in late 2019 in Wuhan, China, is still a global catastrophe.
It has wreaked havoc on the world economy and has claimed more than 936k lives and affected about 30 million people. The epidemic is still rampant in many countries, including India and the United States, and is re-emerging in countries that have once been subdued, dubbed the ‘Second Wave.’
About 139,000 people in Canada have fallen ill, and 9,188 have died as of this writing. This is a massive number for a country with a population of 36-37 million and a huge size.
This disease and its impact are mainly proportional of population density. The higher the population density, the more likely it is to spread.
The disease is spread from one place to another by the movement of tourists, traders, and migrants.
That is why lockdowns, distancing and quarantines are still being used as weapons to control this disease.
Vaccines are evolving, but it will take one and a half to two years to reach the eight billion people across the world, as trials are still ongoing.
Even claims of a successful vaccine have yet to be made. In such a scenario, controlling the movement and interaction of people is the only meaningful step.
From the beginning of the disease, the Government of Canada has been remarkably resilient to it, which has caused the significant financial and human loss.
When COVID-19 victims arrived in Canada by plane, first from China and then from other countries, the Trudeau government was unwilling to stop air traffic, but it was exhausted when the water overflowed.
Not only did it have to sever air ties with the rest of the world, but it also had to sever ties with its largest trading partner, the United States, which has not been restored to date. Even a spat over dollar-for-dollar tariffs dominated news coverage this past week.
Canada’s total population is equal to the combined population of the two U.S. cities of New York and Chicago, yet the disease has walloped Canada.
With more than 9,000 deaths, the federal government has incurred an additional financial burden of $350 billion, and the total federal debt has now exceeded $1.1 trillion.
Governments of different states and civic governments are also suffering from higher budget deficits. The province of Ontario is facing a budget deficit of $38 billion this fiscal year.
Now that schools are being reopened, COVID-19 has spread in every Canadian province, including Ontario. By Mar. 30, 2020, COVID-19 had terrorized Canada, with 1,128 cases reported.
On Sep. 8, 2020, there were again 1479 cases in one day, while on Aug. 3, there were only 147 cases.
For a long time, the total number of cases in Canada was less than 200 every day. On Sep. 12, Ontario only reported 232 cases. If the cases escalate, schools may have to close again, while colleges and universities are already online. Road traffic from the United States and other countries has increased, but the 14-day quarantine rule has become an ‘air fire’.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown has also expressed concern. One of the reasons for the increase in corona cases is said to be COVID-19 carriers from abroad.
Between Mar. 25 and Sep. 3, various police forces were asked to track down 87,338 people who were ordered to be quarantined.
The Public Health Agency of Canada says that no one has been charged with violating the Quarantine Act, only one has been summoned to court, and the police have given 42 tickets under the Quarantine Act.
Under the federal ‘Quarantine Act,’ up to six months in prison and a fine of up to $50-750,000 can be imposed. The police can also give tickets up to $1,000.
Now the Trudeau government has opened its doors to international students, and many ships are landing every day. Schools and colleges are closed, but international students are pouring in from Corona-hit countries.
Most do not even have a place to live, far from managing 14-day quarantines. The dollar-making lobby through foreign students has become enormously powerful, and corruption and fraud are rampant everywhere.
Once again, Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government prioritizes the trade of a class/lobby over Canada’s national interests and security.
Unemployment is at an all-time high in Canada today, and it isn’t easy to provide a safe education for Canadian students.
How wise is it to invite thousands of international students in such a scenario?
