Liberals were like that 30 years ago......now that's leadership
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wish to come back on the events that
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have been unfolding these last two weeks
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i like my colleagues wholeheartedly
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condemn the kind of hideous acts and
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symbols that we've seen on this play by
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nazi flags and confederate flags have no
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place in canada they are symbols of hate
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and intolerance and we must always
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reject these symbols passionately
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and i want to thank all of those who've
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denounced these acts these symbols and
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these individuals clearly and loudly
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i also wish to denounce the far-right
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groups that we have seen in these
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i've myself received over the years my
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fair share of threats from far-right
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extremists and i have absolutely
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i profoundly despise what they stand for
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with regards to the occupation of
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ottawa's downtown core it's time it
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it's time for truckers to leave and let
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the local population get their
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neighborhood back and get their quality
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free of fear and free of harassment
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no one wants this to escalate and
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protesters should now show some good
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like we've seen this saturday in my
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i suggest they relocate somewhere else
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somewhere appropriate for the residents
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and for the city of ottawa they could
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organize shuttles should they wish to
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come demonstrate peacefully before
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parliament hill such is their right
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but downtown residents also have the
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right to piece and order and it has
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lasted long enough already
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when it comes to the broader
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demonstrations we've seen in ottawa in
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quebec city and all across the country
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i will abstain from the kind of
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generalizations that we've heard these
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i've seen on radio canada an interview
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with what seemed to be a very kind grand
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grandmother who demonstrated for her
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grandkids she looked and sounded nothing
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nor did the black seek and indigenous
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canadians i saw demonstrating on my way
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to parliament these last two weeks or in
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quebec city this last saturday
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i have enough respect for my fellow
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not to engage in these easy and absurd
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now looking beyond the demonstrations
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i've heard from hundreds of constituents
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and citizens who took the time to reach
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out to me these past weeks
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folks who have nothing to do with these
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demonstrations who are for the most part
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vaccinated who have done everything as
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they should these last two years
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who have shared with me legitimate
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about where we are heading collectively
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i think we must hear these concerns
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and i think we must respond to them
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i've heard from parents worried to see
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their kids sink into depression and
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slowly lose their joy of living
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i've heard from pediatricians
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in tears telling me about their young
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patients despair anxiety isolation as
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well as the stunning increase in school
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dropouts they are observing
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i've heard from artists who are on the
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brink of mental and financial collapse
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after two years with barely enough work
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i've heard from social workers answering
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suicide hotlines who are overwhelmed by
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the number of calls they're receiving
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i've heard from entrepreneurs and
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restaurant owners who are contemplating
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losing what they've spent their whole
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and that's when it hasn't happened
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i've heard from fellow quebecers who are
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rightfully appalled that in our province
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in 2022 we're locking up triple vaxxed
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i've heard from fellow quebecers
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we have locked up kids aged 6 to 10
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for up to 10 days in windowless rooms
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kids who tested negative who had no
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symptoms who had been in contact with
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someone though who had the virus
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so let me repeat in quebec in 2022 we
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locked up kids aged 6 to 10 for up to 10
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this was a public health measure that
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had been drafted approved and applied
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i've heard from people worried that we
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seem collectively to have forgotten that
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a population's health is kind of like a
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pie and omicron is but a slice of that
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social health and mental health
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i've heard from people worried that
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those making the decisions
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seem at times to have been blind to the
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fact that we're not all equal before
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that not everyone can earn a living on a
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i've heard people worried that a few
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might have lost sight of the quiet and
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discreet suffering of the many
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i've heard people in great pain to see
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some of their friends whom they love
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and respect but who've decided for
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whatever reason we might very well
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disagree with who've decided not to get
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vaccinated and as a consequence
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selling what they have and moving to the
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united states away from their
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communities away from their friends and
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i've heard from teachers worried to see
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kids reenacting in the schoolyard the
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kind of discrimination and segregation
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we see in our society between vaccinated
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i've heard from people worried to see
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fighting each other on this issue
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tearing some families and some friends
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i've heard from a lot of people
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wondering why just a year ago we were
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and now that we have one of the most
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vaccinated population in the world
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we've never been so divided
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now these people are increasingly
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when on the other hand they hear experts
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like dr carl weiss a renowned quebec
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state last week and i quote
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that covet 19 is here to stay
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that those at risk will have to be
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monitored closely when symptoms appear
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that we will have to protect our health
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care systems but that we will also have
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to live with the virus like we do with
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that we can go back to lockdowns and
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restrictions not supported by science
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they're confused when they hear dr tam
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state last week that all existing public
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health policies including vaccine
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passports need to be re-examined and
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longer-term sustained approaches and
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capacity building so we're not in crisis
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mode all the time as we fight this virus
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they're confused when they see the
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undeniable trend around the world
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whereby for instance the world health
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organization recently recommended
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dropping or alleviating many border
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measures including vaccine requirements
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as they've proven to be ineffective in
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fighting the propagation of the omicron
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that's the world health organization
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they're confused when they see countries
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around the world like ireland sweden
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switzerland the czech republic israel
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denmark spain and the uk who have either
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dropped almost all restrictions or are
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fast moving in that direction
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all countries i note with lower
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vaccination rates than us
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now while folks are hearing and seeing
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all of this they're left rightfully
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where the hell are we heading here in
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i think there lies the frustration
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they feel there is no appetite from our
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government to adapt so as to reflect the
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and the changing reality of the pandemic
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they're worried that measures which
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ought to be exceptional and limited in
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time are being normalized with no end in
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sight like vaccine passports mandates
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and requirements for travelers
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they're worried because they feel they
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feel it is becoming harder and harder to
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know where public health stops
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and where politics begins
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now i firmly believe governments would
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do well not to dismiss these legitimate
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and not to demonize those who voice them
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to the contrary i believe these concerns
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need to be addressed head on
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and here are some ways i humbly submit
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i believe the government should provide
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quickly a roadmap with clear and
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measurable targets to lift all
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restrictions within its purview
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to be clear i do not necessarily believe
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that all measures should be lifted
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immediately but i do believe that we
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must have a clear and measurable
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benchmark for when measures will be
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at what point can we lift restrictions
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while respecting the capacity of the
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province's health care systems
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i believe that if more and more
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canadians find it hard to comply with
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it's not because they lack solidarity
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it's because increasingly canadians
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don't understand the measures and they
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don't understand them because
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governments no longer care to explain
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it's a lot easier to comply when you
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understand particularly when these
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restrictions impact your day-to-day life
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the vaccine requirement for truckers to
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me is a good example and if we forget
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about the demonstrations and we forget
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about the convoy for just a second and
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look at that policy for what it is
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this is a policy that now goes against
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the world health organization's
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and for which no epidemiological
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studies and projections have been
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meanwhile the industry is clear
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when this measure took effect the price
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of transport for fresh products from the
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united states went up by 15 to 20
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now i understand there are many factors
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contributing to inflation but inflation
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happens over time not overnight
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this is not a small consequence given
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that canadians are already facing the
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highest inflation in 30 years
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and unfortunately it affects more the
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most vulnerable amongst us the impact is
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not the same if you make 200 or 300 000
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a year versus if you make 15 to 20 bucks
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at least if the benefits were clearly
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explained with data and projections not
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with talking points it could make the
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i've been looking for this data for
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this leads me to humbly suggest that the
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government should systematically publish
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the epidemiological projections and the
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scientific analysis underpinning the
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measures it imposes going forward
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to echo the comments i quoted earlier by
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we need to be building our capacity
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right now to face the next waves
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as such i believe the government should
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start negotiating the canada health
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transfers with provinces without delays
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the government's position is quite
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we say that we will not be negotiating
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the transfer before the pandemic ends
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and on the other hand we say that the
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pandemic will last for years
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if we want to be able to truly live with
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the virus without resorting to the
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violence of lockdowns these discussions
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there's no doubt that provinces have a
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lot to do to improve their health care
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systems and to gain inefficiency
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but the federal government
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also has its role to play
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i think it's time to stop dividing
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canadians to stop pitting one part of
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the population against another i can't
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help but notice with regret that both
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the tone and the policies of my
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changed drastically on the eve and
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during the last election campaign
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from a positive and unifying approach a
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decision was made to wedge to divide and
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i fear that this politicization
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of the pandemic risks undermining the
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public's trust in our public health
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this is not a risk we ought to be taking
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in this last year canada has reached one
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of the highest levels of vaccination in
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the world it is something we should be
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proud of it is something we should be
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it's time to stop with the division and
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it's time to choose positive not
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coercive methods it's time to unite
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though i am alone voicing these concerns
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publicly today i can tell you that i'm
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not the only one who feels
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that this call for more humanism for
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more reason and for more hope will be
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