What Did Canada Do Better?
May 18, 2020
When the Covid-19 crisis eventually ends and the post-mortem is done, I’d be really interested to see a detailed analysis of the differences in the U.S. and Canadian responses. As of 5/18/20, the U.S. had 90,612 deaths with a population of 328.2 million. Canada had 5,842 deaths with a population of 37.59 million. That’s one death out of every 3,620 U.S. citizens vs. one death out of 6,434 Canadians. The virus presumably showed up at about the same time in the U.S. and Canada, but the U.S. has almost twice the death rate from the virus as our neighbors to the north.
Did Canada take any extra precautions that we didn’t? It can’t just be because their Prime Minister comes across as a modern-day Prince Charming, running his fingers through his tousled locks while speaking reassuringly to the press, while in the U.S. we’re under the control of malevolent orange troll who vents his apoplectic rage at reporters—especially women—who dare to not be nauseatingly sycophantic.
But how much of Canada’s comparatively low death rate is based on government response to this specific threat? And how much of it is due to other cultural/societal factors? How much of a difference has it made that Canada provides its citizens with affordable healthcare? Did that make them less likely to have the underlying health issues that made the virus more deadly for U.S. citizens, many of whom delay seeking healthcare until it’s too late because they simply can’t afford it?
Or have Canadians fared better during this outbreak because they’re just nicer, more considerate people? I haven’t seen any footage of armed Canadian terrorists at government buildings demanding their “right” to infect their elderly and immunocompromised neighbors. When their government asked them to take the simple step of social distancing in order to protect their fellow citizens, Canadians seem to have heeded the call much better than we have.
But maybe that’s not entirely fair to U.S. citizens. Sure, many look self-centered and inconsiderate with their poorly spelled signs demanding relatively frivolous things like haircuts and pedicures, but that could be at least partially a façade. The pandemic IS causing very real financial distress, which the protesters probably don’t want to admit. After all, many of them have likely spent years griping online against the “socialism” of healthcare for all, so now that they’re out of work through no fault of their own they probably don’t want to admit—even to themselves—that a system in which access to healthcare is tied to a specific job is asinine.
And financial security may be another factor, too—Canada is giving its citizens $2,000 (approximately $1,400 USD) per month to get by during this crisis, as opposed to the $1,200 one-time payment that many U.S. citizens received. This means that a greater number of Canadians are probably more likely to be experiencing the Covid economic crisis as a brief financial hardship rather than complete financial devastation. Knowing that their government is taking care of them in a time of need probably makes Canadians more likely to be kinder to their neighbors and accept the restrictions and the sacrifices that will keep more people alive.
In contrast, U.S. citizens, legitimately fearing financial catastrophe, are willing to risk their own lives and throw their neighbors under the Covid bus to stave off their personal financial ruin. By keeping people on the brink of poverty, the U.S. ruling class seems to have created a situation in which people are protesting to be sent out into unsafe conditions to fatten an economy that will never benefit them. They’re on the streets and at state government buildings begging to return to their posts as cogs in a machine to make the rich richer—and possibly infect and kill their parents and grandparents in the process. Spurred on by organizations funded by wealthy oligarchs like the DeVos family, U.S. citizens are out in the streets demanding the “right” to be the canaries in the coal mine of our economic system. I find it really sad that this seems to be the best option for a lot of people. And I find it even sadder that there are a lot of people in the U.S. who can be outsmarted by Betsy DeVos.
I’m just raising the questions, and I’ll leave it to people who have a better grasp of data and sociology than I do to evaluate the Canadian vs. U.S. factors. I just hope that when this is over, we in the U.S. can get to a place where the government inspires us and allows us to be our best selves and more considerate neighbors whenever we face our next crisis. I hope that we build up the safety nets rather than tear them down, so that going forward, people in the U.S. can be healthier, more financially secure, and kinder.
