The Globe and Mail - 08.04.2020

A12 OTHEGLOBEANDMAIL | WEDNESDAY,APRIL8,

EDITORIAL

PHILLIPCRAWLEY

PUBLISHERANDCEO

DAVIDWALMSLEY

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

T

he federalgovernment delivered some good news on

Tuesday, when Prime Minster Justin Trudeau an-

nounced that companies across the country have

been enlisted to produce desperately needed hospital gowns

and ventilators.

The day before, Ottawa said 3M would restart shipments of

N95 masks to Canada, after the Trump administration origi-

nally ordered the U.S. company to stop exporting them.

And in Ontario, Premier Doug Ford said a local company is

now producing a made-in-province supply of masks, and

could eventually be churning out a million a week.

There remain concerns about Canadian hospitals running

out of protective equipment for health-care workers, and

ventilators for the sickest patients, in the event of a surge in

COVID-19 cases. It appears, however, that progress is at least

being made in the race to get the needed gear.

That is thanks to the convening and spending power of

Canadiangovernments. But as much as this moment is a re-

minder of their necessity in a crisis, it is also an example of

what happens when they fail to prepare for a foreseeable

catastrophe.

Ottawa and the provinces should have been far readier.

Canada was one of the countries hardest hit by the SARS epi-

demic in 2003, and suffered because it wasn’t prepared.

That led to an inquiry into what happened, and how this

country could do better. Some of the recommendations were

put into effect in Ontario, and have been helpful in the re-

sponse to COVID-19. And Ottawa created the Public Health

Agency of Canada, a key player in the current battle, in 2004.

But planning for a future pandemic was far from adequate.

Nothing is more emblematic of that than Ontario’s comedy

of errors surrounding the purchase and warehousing of

emergency medical supplies.

In 2017, the Ontario Auditor-General reported that, in the

wake of SARS, the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care

spent $45-million on 26,000 pallets of masks, face shields,

needles, disinfectant wipes, disposable thermometers and

other items needed in an outbreak. The stockpile even in-

cluded 55 million N95 respirator masks.

However, the Auditor-General found that more than 80

per cent of the supplies had passed their expiry date and

were no longer usable.

The government’s explanation? It had given itself no bud-

get to manage and replenish the stockpile.

That’s outrageous. But it’s also politics. As the public’s

memory of SARS faded, thepressure ongovernments to

spend money on preparations for the next outbreak faded

with it. The Auditor-General’s comment on the province’s

rotting stockpile went largely unnoticed until Reuters report-

ed on it nearly three years later, as the current coronavirus

crisis was ramping up.

If you asked Canadians right now if they wished that gov-

ernments had spent a lot more money on pandemic prepa-

redness, they’d say yes. And when the inevitable inquiries

look back at what went right and what went wrong in 2020,

there will no doubt be recommendations about keeping

properly managed, up-to-date stockpiles of masks, ventila-

tors and testing equipment, along with better training and

planning. But what happens five years after that, or 10, if

there hasn’t been another pandemic and the politicians who

vowed not to spare a penny when it comes to preparedness

are hearing that familiar refrain from voters about cutting

spending and lowering taxes?

What happens if, a decade after the last person dies in this

outbreak, there are gross oversights that are only reported on

in a single paragraph of a 1,121-page auditor-general’s report,

as was the case for Ontario’s doomed medical stockpile?

Pandemics are unlike any other emergency. Their rarity is

only matched by their potential to kill, to hospitalize and to

do massive harm to the economy if the proper preparations

aren’t in place.

How can the public maintain pressure ongovernments to

stay on high alert for an event that hopefully won’t occur?

And how can politicians convince voters, many of whom un-

fairly believe thatgovernment spending is always a form a

waste, to allow them to continue to spend generously on

pandemic preparation?

In a country that somehow manages to be surprised by

flooding emergencies every spring, these are good questions.

We’ll offer solutions, later this week.

Thepolitics

ofpandemic

preparedness

MASK COVERAGE

Re Advice On Masks Is Changing

As Coronavirus Knowledge

Evolves (April 7): We call upon

the Public Health Agency of Can-

ada and provincial public-health

bodies to immediately provide

mask-usage guidelines and insti-

tute educational programs to

teach safe mask care in much the

same way proper hand-washing

is taught.

The use of masks should be

accompanied by proper care. Us-

ers should assume their mask is

infected after wearing and take

proper precautions.

As well, surgical masks will

not be available to the general

public until an assured supply is

stockpiled for health-care work-

ers. In the meantime, using and

reusing cloth masks or even

scarves or bandanas is a reason-

able option.

We believe masking is only

one part of a successful program

to mitigate virus spread, and it

must be done properly to be ef-

fective.

Val Montessori, MD;

Jake Onrot, MD;

Gil Kimel, MD;

Vancouver

CHINA RISING

Re Let’s Zoom Xi. He Has Ques-

tions To Answer (April 6): I be-

lieve contributor Niall Ferguson

has it right in calling on all of us

to challenge China, where Com-

munist leaders seem to be hiding

their culpability in the global

spread of COVID-19.

He also, rightly, reminds us

that while we roll our eyes at Do-

nald Trump’s misguided pro-

nouncements and politicization

of the crisis, China is likely using

events for its own agenda.

The world will be different

once this crisis passes.

A world with an ascendant

China would not be a better or

safer world.

Paul ClarryAurora, Ont.

STRENGTH IN NUMBERS

Re We Can’t Leave The Develop-

ing World Behind and The World

Must Act Before COVID-19 Shat-

ters Africa (Opinion, April 4): I

find columnist Konrad Yakabus-

ki and contributor Robert Rotb-

erg rightly lament the plight of

the poorest developing coun-

tries, which are dangerously un-

prepared for the pandemic.

Sub-Saharan Africa, with a

population of more than one bil-

lion, is particularly vulnerable,

given the rudimentary state of

public-health facilities in most

countries.

Pleas to increase foreign aid

will likely fall on deaf ears, and

will continue to do so as donors

focus on propping up their own

economies.

However, support could also

take the form of debt relief. Debt-

service payments by sub-Saha-

ran African countries amount to

about US$60-billion, which ac-

tually exceeds net foreign aid in-

flows of about US$52-billion.

Cancelling debt payments would

thus be equivalent to more than

doubling foreign aid.

Roy Culpeper, senior fellow,

School of International Devel-

opment and Global Studies

University of Ottawa

We’re so focused on our own be-

haviour during the pandemic

that we may forget: Without a

vaccine, developing countries

are at even greater risk than

ours, because it’s harder for

them to practise physical dis-

tancing and shut down work-

places. The further down the in-

come ladder people live, the

more important it is that they go

to work every day just to feed

their families.

The work we’re doing to devel-

op vaccines will save lives in Can-

ada. We should ensure Canada

provides financial support so

that all countries get equal ac-

cess to those vaccines.

Randy RudolphCalgary

YOURS TO DISCOVER?

Re Walking The Line In This

Time Of Physical Distancing

(April 4): Toronto is blessed with

big, beautiful parks, beaches and

trails. Sunshine and exercise are

vital for our physical and mental

health, and strengthening our

immune systems. How better to

get both than by walking, biking

or running in a big park, where

physical distancing should be

easier?

The blocking off of these

spaces seems misguided. Why

aren’t our civic leaders encourag-

ing us to take advantage of these

wonderful resources by going to

one every day to exercise, unless

we are sick or in quarantine?

Instead of “stay inside or face

big fines,” the message should be

“enjoy parks for exercise, but ob-

serve physical distancing, don’t

touch the equipment and wash

your hands before and after.”

What a Pyrrhic victory it will

be if we survive COVID-19 by

turning into depressed, obese

couch potatoes.

Beth MooreToronto

I want to congratulate Toronto

Mayor John Tory for instituting

fines for people flouting social-

distancing recommendations in

public parks. I can’t comprehend

people who complain about in-

fringement on liberties. Yes, that

is the whole point!

If these restrictions make peo-

ple “leery about letting children

out” or “more scared now” to

venture into parks, so be it. Do

these people find that closing

restaurants and bars and cancell-

ing events for public safety also

infringe on freedom and enjoy-

ment of life? Isn’t it preferable to

have access to public spaces

completely restricted for a few

weeks or months, rather than

live in a state where we are un-

able to go to any restaurants or

events – or even see families and

friends – for even longer?

Barbi LazarusToronto

Re What Are The Coronavirus

Rules In My Province? A Quick

Guide To What’s Allowed And

Open, Or Closed And Banned

(Online, April 7): My colleagues

and I are concerned about the

health implications of closing

Ontario’s provincial parks. We

have all been reassuring our pa-

tients that although social dis-

tancing is important in the cur-

rent situation, it is also impor-

tant to get outside, to get out in-

to nature as much as possible to

counteract stress.

We understand the necessity

of eliminating park activities

that would challenge social dis-

tancing, such as car camping,

picnics, fully open beaches and

so forth. But disallowing solitary

walks or running in parks seems

counterproductive to the resil-

ience of our communities.

We believe park closings will

have a deleterious impact on our

community’s ability to get

through this crisis. Parks are an

incredible resource that could be

safely utilized, with appropriate

precautions and restrictions, to

support the mental health and

well-being of everyone.

Steve Blanchard MD, FCFP,

on behalf of the physicians

of the Prince Edward Family

Health Team

Picton, Ont.

LIVE FROM OTTAWA

Re What Does It Take To Lead In

Times Of Crisis? (Online, April

6): Here on the West Coast, most

of my family is usually still

asleep around 8 a.m. PT when

Justin Trudeau gives his daily

briefing.

The sleep-in routine is a way

for us to try to stay healthy, at

home and away from hospitals.

But during this time of unprece-

dented crisis, all Canadians need

to know what the Prime Minister

has to say. I urge him to change

the time of his daily delivery so

that Canadians in the West have

a chance to sleep in a bit and still

listen live with a homemade cup

of coffee.

Putting the Prime Minister’s

conferences onto a PVR record-

ing and playing it to my family

later just doesn’t feel the same.

Aapo SkogsterLangley, B.C.

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