Thursday, July 29, 7 p.m. Eastern Time – “Newfoundland - Fighting the Furey-ous Cuts”, with Victor Morgan, Socialist Action Atlantic Branch Organizer, plus others. Host: Elizabeth Byce. Link: https://youtu.be/mrCNKfkcM7
Newfoundlanders and Labradorians are not weak people, but we are tired. We have lived through countless economic downturns, depressions, hard times, and encountered many other hurdles. Through all this, we have been on the receiving end of shredded government safety nets and horrible, crippling cuts. Our healthcare has suffered greatly, leaving us with some of the worst emergency room wait times in the country, ranging from 4 to 8 hours before we get to see a doctor. Hospitals here remain cruelly understaffed, leaving many people in a situation of "why bother" when it comes to their health. Many elderly people here must be forced by family to go see the doctor, as the wait times and hurdles, such as travel and cost, are prohibitive. These are critical barriers to early treatment of what for many will eventually be life-threatening or even life-ending illness. Considering our aging population, our medical services are grossly underfunded and understaffed compared to what would be truly required for them to function properly.
Global warming has arrived here with a vengeance. From June 25 through June 29, British Columbia suffered through a heat wave unlike anything ever seen in Canada. On the Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday all time B.C. records toppled, day after day. Lytton, B.C. on the Fraser River about 150 km north-east of Vancouver reached 49.5 degrees Celsius (121 degrees Fahrenheit) -- the hottest temperature ever recorded in Canada. On Vancouver Island, famous for its moderate Pacific climate, the average June daily high is 20 degrees Celsius. The high for the summer is about 28. But on June 28 it was 41.
What does it mean to lead a province? To Newfoundland and Labrador Liberal Party leader Andrew Furey, it means risking the lives of his constituents to push for power in the middle of a pandemic. It means jumping headlong into what will most likely be one of the biggest controversies of his time. An election call during a pandemic is ill advised, no matter the reason. Andrew Furey went a step farther, setting a March 25 election, at the dead center of an outbreak of a COVID-19 variant strain in the eastern-most province of Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador. He put the lives of voters in greater danger than at the height of the previous wave of non-variant COVID-19. If the health of ordinary people meant anything to Andrew Furey, he would have called off the election in its early stages. So, why didn't he?
On a warm, sunny Saturday, April 24 at 12 noon, Socialist Action members gathered at the south end of Queen's Park in Toronto to protest the abominable Doug Ford Conservative provincial government. To be safe, participants employed physical distancing, masks, and gloves.Scores of passing drivers honked in approval. Dozens of pedestrians approached and took literature; some signed up for e-mail contact.
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