A proverb is attributed to King Louis XI which says: “When pride goes first, shame and damage follow it. »
How many seniors died in CHSLDs during the first wave of the pandemic because the government was slow to call in the Canadian army? the Liberal MP for Fabre, Monique Sauvé, asked the National Assembly on Thursday.
She may have repeated her question twice, neither the Minister responsible for Seniors, Marguerite Blais, nor her colleague from Health, Christian Dubé, wanted to answer it. “We must not try to rewrite history,” they argued. Flying to their aid, the parliamentary leader of the Legault government, Simon Jolin-Barrette, found nothing better than to blame the former government.
In a book published this week by three journalists from The Press (one of whom is my spouse, should I specify), 5060. The carnage of COVID-19 in our CHSLDsan adviser to Prime Minister Legault, Benjamin Bélair, reports the government’s reluctance to issue an SOS to the army even if the situation was totally out of control.
“The nationalist in me wasn’t particularly proud of making that phone. But I saw that it was a completely exceptional situation. Quebec is paying for this army. We needed arms. Let’s say my first feeling was not pride. It was more of a humiliation,” he says.
It is certain that an intervention by the army during a disaster has the effect of restoring Canada’s image, even in the eyes of those who would prefer to get out of it. Whenever she was asked for her help, she did a great job. By all accounts, the speed with which she restored the situation in the CHSLDs was exceptional.
During the ice storm in 1998, the Globe and Mail had even reproached Daniel Johnson for not having taken advantage of the occasion to underline “subtly” the advantages of federalism. The Liberal leader not only had the good sense not to do so, he even pushed solidarity to the point of congratulating Lucien Bouchard.
If the moment was then badly chosen to play politics, it was even more so in April 2020, when the discovery of the horrible conditions in which the residents of the CHSLD Herron had been abandoned gave a glimpse of the extent of the drama that was unfolding. everywhere in Quebec.
However, the Legault government tried to give the impression that Ottawa was being dragged into sending the army.
In the book published this week, a member of Justin Trudeau’s cabinet expresses the dissatisfaction caused by the cavalier way in which Quebec’s request was presented, while the other provinces followed the procedure provided for in such cases. “There was a perception [selon laquelle] it was handled as a public relations issue, first and foremost, more than as a substantive issue. »
It is true that the federal government is in no position to teach the lesson: it too has sought to take advantage of the pandemic to advance its pawns. He saw an opportunity to impose “national standards” in CHSLDs. To the provinces that demanded – and still demand – a substantial and recurring increase in the Canada Health Transfer, it was easy to oppose the billions paid on an ad hoc basis to fight against COVID.
With the general elections approaching, we understand that the Legault government — like the entire population — is in a hurry to move on, and it must pray to heaven that the sixth wave does not force it to impose new measures.
The carnage in the CHSLDs will, however, remain etched in our memories. According to an Angus Reid poll conducted in mid-March, 59% of Quebecers say they are still satisfied with the management of the pandemic in general, but 72% give the government a bad mark when it comes to seniors.
If there was anything humiliating, it was not to have been forced to call in the army, but to have abandoned thousands of elderly people, who died alone, in inhuman conditions. According to the Canadian Institute for Health Information, 58 seniors per 100,000 inhabitants died in long-term care facilities in Quebec during the first wave, while this figure is 20 on average in Canada.
It is not a question of rewriting history, which would amount to denying it, but simply of understanding. The damage cannot be repaired. Let us at least spare ourselves the shame of trying to forget.