A Canadian Triptych

Canada through three lenses

A triptych is defined as a noun. 1: an ancient Roman writing tablet with three waxed leaves hinged together, 2a: a picture (such as an altarpiece) or carving in three panels side by side, 2b: something composed or presented in three parts or sections; especially: trilogy.

Part One – The economics of Covid

I have no interest in reviving the debate about the initial responses to the Covid pandemic. Covid seemed deadlier and more easily transmissible than it turned out later to be. On a personal note, my wife and I took what we thought were reasonable precautions. We had our groceries delivered. We had stocked a small supply of dry goods in case access to groceries would become a problem. Remember when we were told to wash our groceries? We did that. Remember “self-isolate for two weeks to flatten the curve?” We did that, too.

Then, they started moving the goalposts. The lockdown would last longer. At this point, the world’s governments ran into a problem. People who stay home don’t go to work. They don’t get paid, and so they run out of money. Governments started giving people free money so they wouldn’t starve. Oh, yeah, and the economy wouldn’t collapse.

Anyone who has taken first-year economics (raising my hand) knows that flooding new money into the system will create inflation. It’s difficult to predict with precision how much inflation will appear, but in fact, it is inevitable.

Here are some of my questions: Why didn’t the government warn us about the coming inflation? Why was no one trying to educate us about the best way to handle all this free money? Why didn’t the government ask us if we wanted a tsunami of inflation? Why was it necessary to keep multibillion/trillion dollar companies functioning while forcing entrepreneurs to close their doors, often going bankrupt in the process?

Perhaps because they wanted us to behave in certain ways, not others. If you know inflation is coming and there are rising interest rates with it, then you should pay down your debt. You certainly shouldn’t save it. Instead, people spent their free money keeping Amazon and Walmart in business. The money moved from government computers to us to large corporations.

How about this question: Would you have supported lockdowns and cash incentives in exchange for inflation, which has eroded approximately 20% of your buying power now and into the future? Understand that the inflation effect doesn’t go away without deflation. That 20% loss will continue to haunt us. If being reduced to 80% of your buying power doesn’t hurt you, I’m happy for you, but that isn’t my reality. And it isn’t the reality of a lot of people I know. I have a young coworker who is spending his weekends canning food to make the grocery budget stretch. I know people who are worrying about mortgage renewals pushing them out of their homes. My retirement will probably be delayed more than it already was. All this so Amazon can stay profitable?

I vote NO! Oh, wait. I wasn’t asked.

Part two – Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: Even if it kills you

I don’t know if you noticed this story in early July. Richard Bilkszto, a Toronto area school principal, committed suicide. Bilkszto had been one of the early organizers of the Ontario and Toronto chapters of FAIR, the Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism. He retired in 2019 but continued to work on a contract basis, filling in whenever a Toronto area school needed a temporary principal.

In 2021, Bilkszto attended a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) workshop organized by the Toronto District School Board (TDSB). The workshop facilitator declared that Canada is more racist than the USA. Bilkszto pushed back by saying that Canada wasn’t perfect but still offers a lot of good. For this, Bilkszto was held up in front of the participants as an example of white supremacy.

After two such sessions, he took a leave of absence to deal with the emotional damage done. The TDSB refused to investigate the incident and rescinded his already awarded contracts.

I find it very difficult to write about this. Some of my favourite movies are about teachers. To Sir, with Love, Dangerous Minds, Stand and Deliver, and Goodbye, Mr. Chips all stand out for me. I never knew Richard Bilkszto, but I’m sure I would have been richer for it. He not only wanted to be an educator, but he devoted his life to removing barriers for those who struggled in the regular system.

We need more men like this, not fewer. I pray that the grace of God rests on him now.

Part three – Medical Assistance in Dying

In May of this year, Research Co. conducted a poll asking Canadians what they thought about MAiD and whether they would be okay with expanding it. Regarding poverty as a reason for providing MAiD, 27% of Canadians strongly or moderately agreed. This broke down to 27% of men and 25% of women. I’ll let you guess who the other 2% might be. Canadians over 55 thought it was a bad idea with only 12% agreeing in some way. Those who were 35-54 held to the national average of 27%. Of those between 18-34, 41% thought poverty alone was a good enough reason to off someone. When the question was asked about homelessness instead, the numbers stayed about the same.

Conservatives were a little less likely to agree with this than Liberals or NDP voters. People in Alberta and the Atlantic provinces were less likely as well. BC and Ontario clocked in at about 30% support.

I don’t know what the methodology of this study was, but I’m guessing they didn’t get a representative sample of poor or homeless people. So, a large minority of people with money and homes are good with paying a doctor to kill someone rather than spending money to help them.

In 1894, Anatole France wrote, “The law, in its majestic equality, forbids rich and poor alike to sleep under bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal their bread.” In Canada, the law may also soon forbid them to live at all.