Two unrelated - unconnected facts - except of course, that
they are both about the consequences of allowing the COVID-19 virus to spread.
1) nearly 80% of all deaths in Canada attributed to COCID-19
have happened in nursing homes(1).
2) the largest single largest COVID-19 outbreak has occurred
in the Cargill meat processing plant in Alberta (2).
I find it fascinating and more than a little bit worrisome
that in general Canadians (or at least the Canadian press) are alarmed at the
number of cases of COCID-19 and the consequent deaths within our long term care
facilities. We are quite right to be concerned that so many people have died
within a very short time when we knew how to prevent the virus from spreading.
As noted in an earlier blog, any one who has spent any time in a nursing home
knows the problems - not enough staff, staff who are underpaid and who have to work
in more than one facility to live and environments for the seniors that do not
allow for enough private space - are all factors which can facilitate the
spread of viruses. Especially for those who had not thought about the problem,
it must be more than a little bit troublesome to contemplate their potential
future. There are already demands for a national strategy to alleviate the
the problem, a demand that Canada takes better care of its "most vulnerable". While it would be nice if in, fact, such a
strategy was developed, I cannot imagine a time when the provinces will allow
the federal government to control something that is under provincial jurisdiction
nor can I imagine a time when the Canadian taxpayers will tolerate a
significant increase in taxes to pay for any such plan.
Canadians, however, seem to have far fewer concerns as to what
is happening at the meat processing plant. There are no calls for a national
investigation as to how this could have happened or for a national strategy to ensure
that it cannot happen again. Perhaps because there is no apparent danger to
ourselves and we most of us cannot imagine ever having to work under those
conditions, we do not see what is happening in Cargill or the other meatpacking
plants as being our concern. But if seniors are being labelled as our
"most vulnerable", surely the employees of that and the other meat processing
plants, most of who are immigrants must come close to being our second most
vulnerable.
For those of us who have read reports or seen documentaries (https://www.nfb.ca/film/24_days_in_brooks/) about meat processing and immigrants,
we are well aware that not only are the working conditions sub-standard but
also that the employees are frequently treated poorly because they are
immigrants and may feel powerless. We should all be just a little bit angry
about the fact that the employees are treated poorly much of the time. We should
be offended that this has been allowed to happen for decades. But now we should
be bloody mad that at a time when most of us are not supposed to get within six
metres of anyone, other than those we live with, employees who are afraid of
being sent back to their country are being forced to work in dangerous
conditions where it is highly likely some will become infected.
It is well past time that those who profit from the abuse of
workers who are immigrant are held accountable. It is equally well past time
that all of those who enjoy the products need to speak up. One cannot help but
wonder whether or not people's love of cheap meat blinds them from doing what
is right.
(1) cbc.ca/news/politics/long-term-care-homes-covid19-1.5556041
(2)newsinteractives.cbc.ca/longform/cargill-covid19-outbreak
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