by: duane bratt
it has not happened yet, but it is inevitable that we will have a public debate in canada about whether, in the words of u.s. president donald trump, the restrictions that have been imposed in response to the covid-19 crisis is a case of “the cure being worse than the disease.” thankfully, no major canadian political figure has made such a claim.
however, there are certain pro-business and right-wing voices that have started to make this very case. see, for example, a recent column by conrad black or the twitter feed of brett wilson. in contrast, despite the restrictions that are already in place, there are some public health professionals and scientists, who argue that existing restrictions might have to last 18 or 24 months and some are demanding even more restrictions. this debate is currently at the margins, but there will be a time — maybe in a couple of weeks; maybe in a couple of months — when the debate goes into the mainstream.
of course, framing the debate as health care versus the economy is a false choice. ending restrictions on businesses and public gatherings will not automatically restart the economy. not if billions of dollars more need to be dedicated to health care to deal with the hundreds of thousands of cases and the tens of thousands of deaths (or more). likewise, how will businesses function with a workforce and customers depleted due to covid-19? or people scared to go to work or shop because of the threat of covid-19. likewise, there is plenty of economic activity that needs to occur despite the presence of the covid-19 pandemic. people still need to eat, so we cannot shut down the agriculture sector and grocery stores. people still need electricity and home heating, so we cannot shut down the energy sector.