Conservative and CAQ led provinces aggressively push for economic restart, despite rapid spread of COVID-19
Photo Credit: (The Globe and Mail/.Google Images)
Written by: Lahari Nanda
As Canada’s COVID-19 curve flattens, so does provincial Premiers’ desire to continue the state of emergency.
Ontario, Quebec, Alberta, Manitoba, British Columbia and Saskatchewan are geared to restart their economies gradually by reopening the economic centers of provinces.
The fear of a second wave remains, and provincial hospital capacity coupled with restarting economic activities might turn this fear into reality for cities like Toronto, Montreal and Calgary.
In the first few days of May, the federal government ceded the decision to reopen areas of the country and granted provincial jurisdiction over reopening. Federal control over provincial reopening would’ve ensured a uniform or proportional funding across, standardized mandates of healthcare and to object haphazard reopening.
The federal government has otherwise maintained a silence in light of provinces reopening, other than reiterating a strict adherence to public health guidelines and urging people to continue to work from home if they are able to do so.
The push for reopening stems from a need to avoid a deeper plunge into the current global recession, given Canada’s record loss of nearly 2 million jobs.
Ontario’s Premier Doug Ford said, "We are getting close, get ready,” following the 60 new labor guidelines created for the province.
The outlined guidelines are expected to work in conjunction with public health advisories and “science,” according to Ford.
A pattern of Conservative pushback to a halt in economic activity emerges from the provinces that have already opened and those who are planning to. At the same time, the House of Commons sitting is expected to make evident the loopholes in Canada’s minority Liberal government’s handling of the pandemic.
Once again, it appears that the Canadian economy is taking precedence over the safer route to recovery from the pandemic which involves extended states of emergency and a shift to a green economy.
In fact, business experts at the Financial Post predict that opening the provinces too quickly could damage the economy more than that which has already been done.
Across the border in Texas, on April 30, and the first two days of May, there was a rise of 1000 cases each day following the state’s reopening. Despite this, the state remains open and social distancing regulations are being eased.
Yet, Canadian cities that are reopening are not only faced with a health risk, but also with a challenge to fund municipal operations. For example, the Toronto Transit Commission requires federal assistance to start functioning in the midst of a pandemic, but is unlikely to receive any additional aid.
For this purpose, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) has requested federal support to be used for health infrastructure development and to fill in the gap left by a low tax revenue.
The FCM claims that “this crisis exposes cracks in the outdated fiscal framework municipalities must operate in,” recommending an allocation of up to $15 billion in emergency funds to municipalities.
It is still uncertain whether or not Canada’s federal government will provide the requested amount to the municipalities that need it to function successfully after reopening.
While examples for precautionary measures that must be followed during reopening can be drawn from the United States, social behavior and economic functions differ across the border.
Whether Premiers choose to prioritise the economy, or keep the lockdown ongoing in a bid to save human lives is not yet known. However, there’s no doubt that their decision will have an impact on millions of lives.
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