Friends

Last week, an acquaintance stated, “He’s doing the best he can do. If any of you think you can do a better job, you should speak up. Being the Premier isn’t an easy job.” Or something to that effect. Of course, this was in regard to how Premier Ford is handling the pandemic in Ontario. The thing is, Premier Ford wasn’t elected because he said he could do a half-assed job for the ALL of the citizens of Ontario. He was elected because Ontario voters thought he would do the best job, under all kinds of circumstances. At least that’s the basis upon which his platform was structured. Granted, none of us figured we’d be face-to-face with a global pandemic. Whatever, he does seem to be up to his ears in oopsies these days. Yeah, yeah, you’re absolutely spot-on, we all make mistakes. I’ve been know to put too much salt into a meal and, recently, undercooked the quiche. Shucks, just last week, I left the paper yard waste bag out in the rain and ended up re-bagging the 600 pounds of soggy leafage. We all make mistakes. Being Premier, however, never was an easy job. It’s not for an armchair politician looking for a pile of new pals, and that’s why any type of government has a host of advisors and consultants to help keep things moving along.

The thing is, while I make mistakes and you make mistakes we, mostly, aren’t making mistakes at the expense of the health and lives of our friends, family and neighbours. You know what I mean. A little too much salt in the stew or a runny quiche never killed anyone, to the best of my knowledge. Those are the kinds of mistakes I make these days. Truthfully, it’s probably a good thing I’m not the Minister of Wholesome Meals for the Province of Ontario. I’m grateful I’m not the person who slips my mask off, stands at the microphone, stares into the cameras and tells fourteen and a half million people “We’re going to focus on those who are deliberately putting others at risk by ignoring the rules.” You know, the rules, right? Those are “The Rules” our Premier sets in PlayDoh™ on a Thursday morning, mooshes it into a grey glob on a Friday afternoon, then tries to find a new can of PlayDoh™ to roll out another iteration of The Rules on a Sunday. Who the heck knows what “The Rules” ever are at any given point in time? Even if you fired up the tablet and accessed the Government of Ontario’s website to get the straight goods, you wouldn’t be able to get the true picture. “Putting others at risk”! Guess who’s putting everyone at risk every single time he holds a press conference? I didn’t vote for Mr. Ford and I was always skeptical about supporting him. But, I really and truly did hope he’d surprise me.

When The Pandemic hit, Ford’s language seemed to be authentic. He really sounded like he was prepared to guide the Province through it. He was talking-the-talk. From the beginning he told us we were his “friends”. We were, mostly, convinced he was telling us how to do the right thing. And then? Well, until we didn’t know what was right by the example he was setting. A lot of people started tuning into his press conferences to hear what kind of bull-puckey he was going to dish out, take back, season differently and dish it out again. Somewhere along the way we all realized his friends weren’t people like you and me. His “friends” were the large corporations and people who weren’t the least bit affected by the economic impact of the pandemic. Premier Ford’s real concern wasn’t for “the working folks”. He didn’t really care about those people who can’t afford to take a day off, let alone take an unpaid sick day. His friends don’t work in hospitals or pharmacies or retail shops or grocery stores. His friends don’t get up every day and wonder if today is the day they become infected and bring the goods home to their family or friends. And then?

And then, when the going gets tough Premier Ford plans to shut down the Provincial Legislature. The shutdown will effectively put the passing of Bill 239 back on the shelf at a time when thousands of Provincial workers need to have paid sick leave. Ontario’s state of emergency and stay-at-home order will now be in effect until at least May 20. And then what? Open up for the Two-Four Weekend and then close down two weeks later when the COVID-19 numbers spike and then open up for the July long weekend and stay open until the middle of August, then close for two weeks and open for the Labour Day weekend? I’m not what you’d call a “princess of consumption”. I don’t miss being able to shop or sit on a beach or rod around on my “sea-doodle” at a cottage. But, I do know many people love to celebrate a long weekend and won’t hesitate to do so, perhaps recklessly, because they’ve been led to believe they’ve earned it. Thanks for allowing us that attitude, Premier Ford.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve “unfriended” Ford- Nation.

theresa@wellingtontimes.ca