Things said in “Polite Company”

Years ago, my grandma Getson married an air force corporal whom she met at a local dance. Together, they moved from a comfortable home in Pincher Creek up into the middle of nowhere on the west side of Chip Lake – this was around the end of the war.  She and Grandpa farmed. They were very engaged in the community and raised 5 kids.

As I reflect on some of the traditions Grandma carried with her, the things she passed onto us farm kids make a lot more sense now, as an adult and especially as an MLA. When we spent time with Grandma, it was often teatime. It had to be with milk and a biscuit or cookie of sorts.  We had a polite conversation over tea and took the time to enjoy each other’s company.  A little later in life, when we were nearing our teens, with a few other cousins around at the time, the conversations would start to stray (as teenagers do from time to time) and Grandma always corrected us. In polite and proper company, there were three items we weren’t to discuss: sex, religion, and politics.  It’s a lesson that has come back to serve me well over the years, and honestly, I think we could use a bit of that from time to time today in the age of social media.

I have strong ideals regarding personal rights and freedoms, as well as what is polite, proper, and personal.  I believe that freedoms come with responsibility to others, so that our personal rights do not trample the rights of others, especially when it comes to the minority.  These beliefs I hold to like a “golden rule” of sorts, and all the more now that I’m part of the process for writing laws.  As an example, I greatly appreciate the freedom to ride a motorcycle, fly an airplane, own firearms, travel within the country and to foreign countries, and gather privately with friends and family, or go out to public events.  I appreciate the freedom of knowing my personal information was just that – personal and confidential – and that polite people didn’t ask things of others personal nature (unless they brought it up first).

Now: do I need permission?!

In regard to my personal freedoms, they are even more restricted than my constituents, not less.  This is the first time in my life I’ve ever needed to obtain “permission” to travel to another province (for personal or my own private business) and have not left the province in nearly 2 years now, and quite honestly, I’m getting more than a little stir crazy.

 I’ve always believed I’m accountable for my own actions. That’s a basic conservative value, and a value long held by most people in this part of the country. Today though, people are being held accountable for things that others may have said or done in which they had no part. This is the case, for example, I find myself having to defend allegations others have made in social media posts and news reports. Under normal circumstances, in situations where an allegation, slander, or a defamation of character has been made, there is also recourse.  As an MLA however, I’m simply expected to endure. “The normal rules do not apply”, and “you signed up for this” are many of the replies I received when trying to address these situations.  Polite Rules do not apply, nor does many of the standard laws…a grey area apparently is now accepted by the public, when it comes to public figures.

Mandatory Vaccinations

Regarding mandatory vaccinations for Covid 19, you’ve probably already heard that Bill 66 removed the ability for the provincial government to implement a mandatory policy – something which had been allowed under the Health Emergencies Act for a long time.

Bill 66 or not, we’re in a situation now where businesses are discriminating service based on health history. People are being asked to provide their personal health information. This has been a lengthily walk on a very fine line of what is proper in my opinion. It’s also calling into question how Canada’s constitution was meant to operate in the first place.

Now in special circumstances, such as war, or a health emergency, normal freedoms can sometimes be suspended to meet extraordinary needs.

For someone whom I have never met to ask me for my personal health information – someone who has no reason to ask in the way of providing a service or interface, I will decline to let them know every single time. Polite people do not ask personal information, unless it is brought up by the other party, or unless it is of real consequence, in this case, for public health.  Because of this, apparently, I am “sending the wrong messaging to the public as an MLA” and some have said I “should know better”.

In our polite society, some people feel compelled, encouraged, and even vindicated when asking others personal health information.  In my observation, this has led to some very concerning behaviors, and has only gone to further exacerbate the tense situation we’re in, causing further mental and physical stress on our friends, neighbors, and relatives.

I have had constituents tell me the best jurisdiction in the world for covid management policy was China.  When asking for clarification (whether or not they’re asking me to push for policy like that of a communist country) they became offended.  I have had constituents say there needs to be more unity among us, but then state they think un-vaccinated people should have to pay their own healthcare costs out of pocket. When I asked if that meant they were in favor of Alberta having a public and a private healthcare system running in tandem, they became offended.  When I asked if it were fair if when we looked at the comorbidity items that are posted by AHS, if we should have people with high blood pressure, heart disease, renal issues, diabetes, and who were over the age of 70 pay for their service, they figured I was confusing the issue.

Challenged for keeping my personal health information private

I’ve been challenged for not disclosing my personal health information and categorized because of the stock I put into personal freedoms.

The fact is I have maintained all along that, based on readily available statistics from AHS, on risk factors, on dialogue with your personal doctor, and on your beliefs, your decision about what is right by your conscience and for your family belongs to you. I support your decision.  I will not prejudice your decision.

I still believe in the rights and freedoms of individuals. I believe in minimal interference from governments in the way people live their lives. In special circumstances, the suspension of some freedoms can be warranted. However, that needs to be in context of the event, especially the duration of the event. Life has to be normal again at some point.

When I look over the border to the south, with the limited restrictions in place and the ability to now cross the land border, I have to wonder if we as Canadians got it right.  If our freedoms are being held back merely due to a flawed system, we’ve been too proud to examine of for years. I have to wonder if our scramble to turn on one and other and bicker right now isn’t just a distraction from fixing the real issue.

Where is the failure?

The issue that I see is that in this prolonged state of public emergency (which in no small part is due to hospital capacity for normal needs, plus addiction related items, plus covid) our healthcare system failed to provide the necessary resources to meet demand. This isn’t a question of money – Alberta spends more on healthcare than the entire country’s defense budget. This isn’t a question about the dedication of frontline medical staff like nurses and doctors, who have been on the brink for years. This is a failure in management. AHS leadership failed to identify internal issues and adapt to the current situation – a situation we’ve been in for nearly two years.

Let’s respect each other!

In the meantime, please take a moment to pause, respect each other, and understand that people are not going out of their way to cause you harm, or duress, whatever side of the debate you may be on.  People are doing what they think is right. Ultimately, the variant we are experiencing will make its way through the population. We have to protect the most vulnerable from serous health complications at this time, and my concern is will the system be there to manage it?  Will the system still be able to function for all the other non-Covid related items?  Will the people themselves make the right decisions to do what they can to drive down demand by altering their lives and taking reasonable precautions so that when someone really needs that ICU bed, that it is there for them.

MLA Shane Getson

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Source: The Buffalo Tribune

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