If the Alberta government is looking for someone to blame as COVID-19 cases spike out of control, to borrow a phrase from late premier Jim Prentice, it need only look in the mirror.
Premier Jason Kenney put the blame squarely on the shoulders of Albertans this week, absolving himself of responsibility Monday by declaring the health half-measures that have been in place up until now “extraordinary.” The problem, he says, is that Albertans just aren’t following the rules.
But what are those rules? They change often, sometimes weekly. They apply to some businesses and residents but not all. Enforcement seems to be all but nonexistent. Couple that with inconsistent messaging from the province, and you’ve got a recipe for mass confusion and disregarding of the rules.
Responsibility for our growing viral spread lies at the feet of our provincial and federal governments, both of which have done a poor job of managing the spread of COVID-19. Federally, failing to facilitate domestic vaccine production and a lackadaisical approach to border control have added fuel to the COVID-19 fire, putting us well behind other countries in handling this health crisis. Provincially, messaging from Kenney about rule-breakers has oscillated between stern condemnation and overly empathetic understanding. Those are failures in leadership that start at the top.
This week, Kenney scolded the hundreds of Albertans who attended a “no-lockdown” rodeo near Bowden, Alta., May 1 in defiance of public health restrictions. But Bowden Mayor Robb Stuart says a plea for help to Alberta Health Services to prevent the rodeo from happening in the first place went unanswered. That’s the latest in a long pattern of health rules being publicly broken with few consequences: one need only think back to the many months during which GraceLife Church held packed services to recall the extent of the province’s inaction.
Laws need to be enforced, and they need to be applied consistently. Otherwise, how can we expect anyone to take them seriously? Health orders are not just guidelines to be disregarded at will. They are legally enforceable. We enforce other laws across the board with strict fines or jail time, and it’s time we treated COVID-19 the same way.
While Kenney announced new health measures, which could involve more enforcement, on Tuesday, they won’t be effective unless the tone from the top changes. Albertans deserve better than a premier who tells them it is entirely understandable why they’re breaking the law – that after all, we’re all frustrated, but golly, we’d appreciate it if people would follow our orders, pretty please.
That sort of wheedling, coupled with mixed government messaging and poor enforcement, opens the door for some Albertans to doubt that there is a public health emergency at all, thus giving them ammunition to hold large public gatherings, protests and rodeos to protest health measures.
Alberta now has its highest-ever active COVID-19 case total, which on Monday hit 22,920. On Saturday, it posted its highest-ever daily case count at 2,433 new infections. On Sunday, the provincial government suspended its spring legislative sitting, a move that looks suspiciously like hiding from your critics. The situation is as serious as it has ever been. We deserve a government that is serious about getting our viral spread under control and is willing to do what it takes to make that happen.
