Stephen Harper's Canada.....Worse Than Listeriosis?

YouCanLearnALotJustByReadin'
AlmostYogiVille


So.

Do you remember that editorial from the Canadian Medical Association Journal that was published last week?

You know, the one that pointed a finger at Mr. Harper for instituting a policy that removed government inspectors from meat processing plants?

Well, maybe you do...... or....... maybe you don't, because it didn't get much media play given that reporters following Mr. Harper around the country were not allowed to actually ask him any substantive questions about it.

Well.

It turns out if you read a little deeper into the thing you will come acroos a couple of paragraphs in succession that, if you have any concerns for public health and safety at all, will knock your socks off.

And I mean it.

To wit......

Paragraph 1:
"The listeriosis epidemic is a timely reminder that the Harper government has reversed much of the progress that previous governments made on governing for public health. Following the 2003 SARS epidemic and subsequent recommendations of the National Advisory Committee on SARS and Public Health, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) was created and given its own minister in government— a direct line to the prime minister. But in 2006, among Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s first acts was to eliminate the PHAC minister and public health’s seat at the Cabinet table. His government also left the chief medical officer of health within the ranks of the civil service, working under the minister of health. In so doing, it left our country without a national independent voice to speak out on public health issues, including providing visible leadership during this crisis...."

Hmmmmmm.....

Stripping knowledgable folks that oversee public health and safety of their independence so that their mandates can be politicized....

Where have we heard about that before?

But that's not worst and/or least of it.

Let's head back to the CMAJ editorial for.....

Paragraph 2:
"And listeriosis may be the least of it. The same November 2007 Cabinet decision that handed self-inspection to the owners of meat plants did the same for operators of animal feed mills and cut back the avian influenza preparedness program. Yet bad animal feed led to the epidemic of bovine spongiform encephalitis (mad cow disease), and in an influenza pandemic tens of thousands of Canadians may die. Listeriosis pales in comparison. Overall, it would seem that, as a country, Canada is far less prepared now for epidemics than in the past......"


We have nothing, absolutely nothing, to add to that except to once again remind everyone that the real issue here is bad policy not bad jokes.

Which is the real story the wurlitzered-up media should have been following for the last week.

OK?


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And this just in........Despite what today's codswallop from the Harper campaign would have you believe, crime rates in Canada are at generational lows.


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