April was the cruelest month in Nova Scotia this year, as the third wave of COVID-19 violently crashed on our shores.
Last month, I argued that governments’ decisions have been the driving force keeping Atlantic Canada relatively safe during the pandemic—not simply good luck, nor a “collective ethic” that is unique to this region. At the time, this message strongly resonated with many Ontarians facing the third wave under the disastrous leadership of Doug Ford. Today, I hope this message resonates at home in Nova Scotia. The importance of political will to act on public needs is clearer than ever.
Each day that the pandemic is upon us, we can see how governments’ decisions affect our lives and our families, friends, and communities. From a sociological perspective, the pandemic is not only caused by the virus that is making people sick. It is also caused by the political and social worlds that organize and shape how and where we live (and work, and travel), creating our everyday risks and opportunities.
In this light, it is no mystery why Atlantic Canada’s COVID-19 response has been more effective compared to the rest of the country. It’s simple: as cases have risen, our governments have moved quickly to shut down schools, businesses, and borders, and then kept them closed to eliminate community transmission. Where our bodies are (or are not) is obviously the crucial factor in a pandemic.
Yes, many of us have “stay[ed] the blazes home,” but it’s because we had to—and because we could. During a pandemic, staying home is more of a privilege than it is an accomplishment.
Across the country, politicians decide whether or not we have to stay home, while their policies also determine who has the privilege to do so. These policies do not give everyone in Canada equal control over the risks they will face. Not everyone has equal opportunity to remain safely at home, even in Nova Scotia.
Workplaces have been driving outbreaks across the country, while many of the essential workers we depend on to provide us with food, groceries, care, cleaning, and other services do not have the option to stay home. Without paid sick days and other forms of support, many workers cannot afford to. Thus, governments’ decisions put these workers and their families at significant risk of illness and death.
At every turn, COVID-19 outcomes—who is put at risk, who gets sick, who lives or dies—are shaped to a huge extent by politicians’ decisions. Meanwhile, politicians continue to blame individuals’ choices, instead.
Atlantic Canada’s COVID-19 response has been the best in the country. Our successes have been driven by care and concern for one another, but, crucially, they have been accomplished due to political will. But this is no time for smugness or complacency. Instead, we might ask, what else can we accomplish with the political will to act on public needs? What else can be done to protect those who have been put at greatest risk by policy decisions?
And, when this crisis is over, the question we must ask ourselves and our leaders is: what bold, life-saving acts of political will can our governments accomplish next?
Photo by Ehimetalor Akhere Unuabona on Unsplash
