Notwithstanding government advice, I have travelled south and am currently coviding in 30-degree temperatures on the sunny beaches of Mexico. To be clear, we left home two weeks before the government issued an anti-travel advisory to all seniors last week.

By Sheila Copps
First published in The Hill Times on November 23, 2020.

I am a snowbird sinner.

Notwithstanding government advice, I have travelled south and am currently coviding in 30-degree temperatures on the sunny beaches of Mexico.

To be clear, we left home two weeks before the government issued an anti-travel advisory to all seniors last week.

The government advice did not mince words: “avoid all non-essential travel outside Canada and to avoid all cruise ship travel until further notice…. If you are an older traveller, you may be immunocompromised or have chronic medical conditions such as obesity…. By choosing to stay at home…you can help protect yourself, your family and those at risk of more severe disease.”

Judging by the absence of northern vacationers in Mexico, most people are heeding that advice.

In what is usually the beginning of the high season, in our condo there is literally only one other Canadian couple from Calgary that has made the trek south.

Rules require us to quarantine in our unit for two weeks before accessing the pool or any other common facilities.

And we are extremely diligent in self-distancing and masking whenever we venture into any public spaces.

The good news is that most of the activities in Mexico take place outdoors. We walk on the beach daily and can easily eat outdoors at home or elsewhere.

We did not make the decision to travel lightly and even had several discussions with family members who are front-line medical workers.

But the bottom line: it is much easier to survive the social isolation in warmer weather.

The notion of simply staying in our Ottawa apartment would likely prompt risky indoor social gatherings.

The announcement of a potential vaccine has lifted the spirits of all, but it is definitely going to take up to a year to cover the country.

Already, disputes are erupting between levels of government on how many vaccines will be available by province and when they can be accessed.

Health Canada has yet to approve the vaccines.

There will be tremendous pressure on the federal government to fast-track treatments as American neighbours start receiving emergency injections before year’s end.

There are several vaccines on the verge of approval, two of which have announced results up to 95 per cent efficiency. U.S. President Donald Trump can take credit for that news, as he launched Operation Warp Speed to propel the race for a safe vaccine.

That has buoyed health-care workers in the United States, where at press time, almost every state in the union was on a negative COVID trajectory.

Canada’s numbers are also continuing to trend in the wrong direction. The premier of Ontario is expected to announce deeper lockdowns in Peel, York, and the city of Toronto because of the prevalence of COVID in the GTA.

As the numbers rise, there is confusion about the best way to flatten the curve.

Just as the Canadian government is telling snowbirds to stay home, the Ottawa medical officer of health is tearing up on television publicly discussing thousands of mortality statistics that aren’t covered in COVID death counts.

Dr. Vera Etches cited spikes in suicide and cancer deaths caused by delayed treatment as two examples of an indirect death toll wrought by the world pandemic.

One of my friends confessed recently that her aging mother is musing about assisted death because she can no longer tolerate the isolation of an assisted living environment where, for months at a time, not a single family member had been allowed to visit.

Further lockdowns prompted by the second wave have beaten down an already exhausted population, and some are simply ignoring restrictions on indoor gatherings.

That takes me back to my decision to pre-empt the travel advisory ban issued by the federal government.

Facing minus 20-degree weather locked inside in an apartment in Ottawa would make it far more likely that my attendance at risky indoor social gatherings would increase.

By travelling south, and exercising caution in masking, distancing, and social isolation, I fully expect to endure the winter with less risk of receiving or transmitting the COVID virus than would have happened in Ottawa.

The only issue we were truly concerned about was the trip to our destination, as we travelled through three different airports.

But the measures taken before we got on board, including temperature taking and masking on flights, led to a safe arrival.

Our commitment to good COVID avoidance practices will not waver. But it is much easier to stay safe in the sand than the snow.

Sheila Copps is a former Jean Chrétien-era cabinet minister and a former deputy prime minister. Follow her on Twitter at @Sheila_Copps.

The longer we are in lockdown, the more Liberals will lose. With an under-functioning Parliament and a flattened COVID curve, the government needs to pivot quickly, or any hope of an early election majority may simply be wishful thinking.

By Sheila Copps
First published in The Hill Times on June 15, 2020.

OTTAWA—The Liberal COVID-fighting honeymoon is over.

Last week two fatal blows were delivered.

One came from the opposition which banded together to derail tough government legislation on COVID subsidy fraudsters.

The second blow was the picture of the prime minister on bended knee attending a crowded protest with thousands of people at the same time his government is saying you can only gather in groups of five or 10.

Justin Trudeau’s presence at the rally sent an important message about how Canadians need to tackle the issue of systemic racism. He was right to be there.

But his government is off the mark with continued lockdowns, interprovincial travel warnings and international travel bans.

His presence at the protest sent a message in direct conflict to the one delivered daily by public health officials across the country, who are still placing major restrictions on group gatherings for fear of viral transmission.

Until recently, we were told that wearing masks in public would not be helpful. Now we are being told it is a mandatory part of public distancing.

The only people who seem to think things are generally going well must be in a parliamentary bubble.

When asked about the continuing travel ban last week, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said, “The arrangement we have today is working and it is working very well.”

Millions of Canadians who have lost their jobs and/or remain huddled in their homes by government fiat, may not agree with her.

A full-page plea in The Globe and Mail was literally begging the government to reconsider its current lockdown strategy.

The Canadian Travel and Tourism Roundtable enlisted more than 100 companies to support their move to eliminate the 14-day international travel quarantine and reopen the southern border.

As the ad pointed out, the travel/hospitality sector employs 1.8 million people and contributes $102-billion to the Canadian economy.

Similar backlash is happening against travel restrictions in other parts of the world. The United Kingdom is being sued by airline companies for its decision to retain a 14-day quarantine for international travellers who enter the country.

Last month, air travel in the United States fell by 96 per cent, reaching its lowest level in the history of passenger data collection.

Who are the most vulnerable victims of the interprovincial travel and tourism lockdowns? It is the young people, who are facing the bleakest job market.

The May unemployment rate for 20- to 24-year-olds was 29.5 per cent. For those planning to return to school in the fall, the number jumped to a shocking 42.1 per cent. And the problem is not just the unemployed. It is also the mental burden of isolation facing single people working from home.

A close colleague is a millennial whose job was moved to his home at the beginning of the crisis. He was told last week that his office would not reopen until next March. His response was to make an appointment with a mental health professional because the news was so depressing.

It is not surprising that young people are turning their backs on the self-distancing rules of federal and provincial governments. At a younger age, people need more social stimulation. Isolation can kill as quickly as COVID with mental breakdowns and suicides, where the young are most vulnerable.

This lockdown is especially tough on people living alone. Does it make sense to prevent family visits for those who are currently living in long-term care facilities? The loneliness that comes from not seeing a familiar face for months should be considered when quarantines are extended simply based on COVID.

In Ottawa alone, there is now a two-year waiting list for medical procedures cancelled because of COVID. Some postponements are life-threatening, including heart and cancer surgeries that can be fatal if left untreated.

There is going to be a higher death toll in other areas because of the focus on COVID.

The air of parliamentary collegiality which has characterized pandemic relations went out the window because opposition parties are now sensing the vulnerability of the government’s current position.

In the first two months, the prime minister’s daily press conferences were critically acclaimed. Now he is being attacked for spending all his time in scrums while Parliament is mostly muzzled.

The longer we are in lockdown, the more Liberals will lose.

With an under-functioning Parliament and a flattened COVID curve, the government needs to pivot quickly, or any hope of an early election majority may simply be wishful thinking.

Sheila Copps is a former Jean Chrétien-era cabinet minister and a former deputy prime minister. Follow her on Twitter at @Sheila_Copps.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is getting an early shot at the new form of communication. Self-isolation has not prevented him from getting his message out.

By Sheila Copps
First published in The Hill Times on March 23, 2020.

OTTAWA—Social distancing to a politician is akin to a hand sanitizer ban for germaphobes.

Politicians thrive on contact with people.

But in the new normal, public figures may have to learn to campaign in a germ-free bubble.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is getting an early shot at the new form of communication. Self-isolation has not prevented him from getting his message out.

His government’s handling of the situation to date has the potential to enhance his political capital.

Daily press availability and the major national stimulus package could calm the growing fears of worried Canadians.

Trudeau’s new beard has been graying quickly, given the nature of the stresses he must be feeling at his wife’s side while she manages her infection. The graying has added a hint of gravitas to what is obviously a very grave situation.

I was a latecomer to the panic room. But I could not responsibly ignore the appeal of Canada’s foreign minister to get back home.

Last week, I was hoping to continue plans for a two-week anniversary cruise, but the request by the Canadian government to get back home could not be ignored.

My husband and I managed to get wait-listed on one of the last international flights still landing in Ottawa, and after traveling for two days, arrived to a ghost town last Tuesday.

It is worth mentioning that Canadian border officials appear a lot more prepared to manage this crisis than our American counterparts.

En route to Canada, we transited through two American airports, landing first in San Francisco and next in Washington.

In neither airport was there a single reference, verbal or written, to the coronavirus. We were not asked whether we had experienced a cough, or any symptoms. Nor were we warned to self-isolate when we reached our final destination.

It was a totally different story when we arrived in Canada. We were questioned at the border about health symptoms and travel history, and then given an information sheet with all of the contact numbers for reporting any potential infection.

We were asked to undertake a voluntary 14-day self-isolation plan, and signed a form agreeing to do so.

The Canadian message is clear. In order to stem the flow of the virus, we all need to limit social contact as much as possible. But the same warnings do not seem to have made their way to some parts of the United States.

An American friend just underwent a mastectomy operation in Houston and she actually went out to celebrate the surgery at an Irish bar with her family on St. Patrick’s Day. She seemed oblivious to the notion that her own health could be at risk by gathering in a bar.

Most Canadian bars and restaurants are closed but it seems to be business as usual in some parts of the United States.

An aggressive Canadian lockdown may limit the spread here, but the laissez-faire approach of some American states could have a negative rebound effect on our country. As of last Thursday, there were 736 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Canada, while in the United States, the reported number of infections surpassed 11,000.

The difference in infection rate may be partially explained by the capacity of a public health system to respond in a coordinated fashion. Many Americans have no health care, and they are obviously at risk when it comes to curbing the transmission curve.

China is now in recovery mode but, according to media reports, hospitals across the United States have been asking health professionals to reuse single-use masks.

Beaches in Florida are still packed with young people who appear to be generally ignoring the warning to stay home. And bars in New York are still operating, with state governor Andrew Cuomo stating publicly that he will not exercise his legal options to keep people home.

At home, the prime minister is considering all options, including the implementation of a War Measures Act to ensure compliance with social distancing requests.

The thought of spending months in isolation is not something anyone looks forward to.

Netflix has been bending under the weight of millions of downloaders. The strain on their system has been so great that they just eliminated high definition transmission in favour of preserving bandwidth. Being restricted in close quarters can also be a challenge for families.

Puzzles and games have been flying off store shelves, purchased by harried parents looking to keep their children busy.

Isolation is the new normal.

Sheila Copps is a former Jean Chrétien-era cabinet minister and a former deputy prime minister. Follow her on Twitter at @Sheila_Copps.