A Little Taste Of Communism Right Here In Canada

Photo: Robin Rowland/CBC

No, it isn’t a reenactment of Stalin’s Russian lineups for toilet paper and food rations, but it sure seems like it. But it does involve hapless Canadians waiting in line so they can get their fear placebo, rationed out in government-approved three and a half hour vaccination sessions. We would not want to, after all, strain the unionized public sector too much during this time of emergency.

People who lined up for flu shots in clinics across Canada were turned away by the “overwhelming demand”, as rumours persist that the government just simply doesn’t have enough vaccines to handle the panic of the swine. Most of these clinics opened their doors at 9 am, with locals arriving five hours early. You’d think AC/DC was in town. They closed their doors by 12:30pm, turning away hundreds of people who had been waiting in line.

But fear not. Officials in all tiers of government have said they are rolling out a plan early next week for more targeted H1N1 vaccinations focusing on those at the greatest risk. Such as criminals, for instance. Or Hedy Fry’s workplace. And who could forget the priority of vaccinating homeless drug addicts?

I’m not suggesting that it’s Canada’s mode of health care that is solely responsible for the backlog. It’s a universal fact that government doesn’t seem to understand the point of coordinating efforts and increasing manpower and operating hours to overcome a temporary problem. Our refugee backlog is a pretty shining example of that. I won’t pretend to understand how the public sector works, but in the private sector there are certain deadlines which, if required, force people to work longer hours to accomplish the goal. It would seem prudent in during an international emergency not to do silly things, such as open immunization clinics for 3 hours, and turn people away at a half past the mid-hour of a normal working day.

h/t to BC Blue