Check It Out: Policies that don’t make sense

By Joan Janzen
joanjanzen@yahoo.com

This week’s joke goes like this ... “I find it hard to understand that people still don’t know how to correctly use ‘their’, ‘there’ and ‘they’re’. Their so stupid!”

On a similar note, many Canadians are finding it hard to understand some of the federal government’s policies.

Christine Van Geyn, Litigation Director with the Canadian Constitution Foundation (CCF), a registered independent and non-partisan charity, explained why they are challenging the federal quarantine hotel policy, which requires Canadians returning to Canada from another country, to quarantine at a federal facility at a cost of up to $2,000 per traveller. This cost is also non refundable.

Christine said the quarantine hotel policy is redundant and exploitive because travellers are already required to take a test before they board the plane, and once again after they land, and are also required to quarantine at their home for 14 days.

These travellers are required to quarantine at a hotel, even if their test results arrive in a matter of hours. Many travellers have complained they have been forced to interact with many more people than they would have had they quarantined at home. Travellers are exposed to even greater risk while being transported and corralled into large halls while waiting for rooms to be made available.

Some travellers, who have stayed at quarantine hotels, say they haven’t been fed, and others have said the food was cold, sparse and inedible.

The five individuals CCF are representing, all need to travel for compassionate reasons and are not eligible for any exemptions. These people can’t afford the quarantine hotel cost; some are on a tight budget and are single income families. One of their clients is unable to pay a final visit to his dying parent because he can’t afford the quarantine cost. Consequently this policy is damaging in numerous ways.

Yet another policy that could prove to be damaging is Bill C-7, concerning medical assistance in dying (MAID). Like most Canadians, you will have seen government ads advocating for Suicide Prevention. The ads say suicide can be tough to talk about but help is available 24/7 if you or your friends want to talk to someone on a Healthline.

It instructs people to watch for signs if you think someone is struggling. The signs include becoming quiet, irritable, feeling hopeless or bad about life, drinking or using drugs more, spending less time with friends and harming themselves or taking dangerous risks. These ads are necessary as they give avenues of help for people who are struggling with mental issues such as anxiety and depression.

On the other hand, in direct contrast, Bill C-7 was accepted by the Senate and received royal assent on March 17th. Through Bill C-7, the government approved euthanasia for mental illness alone, and expanded the policy removing the ten-day waiting period to receive MAID, so someone could request MAID and die the same day, even though studies prove that the “will to live” fluctuates over time.

The Bill was accepted even though disability rights organizations across the country were speaking out and warning of the dangers of accepting the Senate’s amendments to Bill C-7. ‘There’ is a possibility that the federal government expects Canadians to accept ‘their’ polices, even if ‘they’re’ not making sense.

You can contact me at joanjanzen@yahoo.com