Crass tactics not helping anyone during crisis

Asked Thursday morning how his Saskatchewan Party government measured success in its COVID-19 fight, Health Minister Paul Merriman provided this measure:

“I think that we have just had a recent poll that just came out from Angus Reid (showing) we are one of the best jurisdictions, if not the best jurisdiction, that has handled COVID in balancing the economy, people's mental health and within our health care system,” Merriman proudly stated in response to the question from The Canadian Press's Stephanie Taylor.

Yes, an opinion poll. One that — in no small irony — actually shows the government's approval rating for the handling of the pandemic dropped to 55 per cent from 77 per cent in June when it seemed far less crass in its handling of the pandemic.

In fairness to Merriman, the Angus Reid Institute poll was all the buzz in Sask. Party ranks on the last day of the fall sitting. Why wouldn't it be? We're only 1,424 days away from the next election. Minsters get their talking points from a collective government communication strategy, so it wasn't as if Merriman was soloing on this message.

In further fairness to Merriman, the comment was made Thursday morning in sometimes-partisan legislative rotunda scrums long before we heard the daily COVID-19 numbers.

Let's keep our focus on what should be the only true measure of success or failure. Thursday, we saw four more death and 324 more cases, increasing the seven-day average to a record 283 cases a day. That's well above the level of 250 new cases a day that chief medical health officer Saqib Shabab said would require further restrictions.

But if Merriman need not be singled out — frankly, his answer mostly demonstrates how he's generally honest to a fault — let's then deal with collective government crassness on display all sitting from its out-of-touch throne speech to the last bill it presented.

That bill? The “Emergency Planning Amendment Act” described as a “response to the current COVID-19 pandemic.”

A response? It was introduced on the last day of the sitting, ensuring there was no chance of passage of this new law supposedly about allowing “maximum fines for those found guilty of non-compliance with emergency orders.” And even if passed, it actually changes nothing. It only increases fines in this act to the same level — $7,500 for individuals and $100,000 for corporations — as exist under the existing Public Health Act. Communication officials could not provide reporters with one example of how this would mean additional enforcement during this pandemic.

But, hey, if all you are interested in is crass notions of getting a headline saying you are actually addressing COVID-19, this is as a good as anything.

Unfortunately, all governments tend to do crass things — especially during sittings. And sometimes oppositions aren't much better.

We didn't exactly see stellar performances from the beleaguered NDP and their leader, Ryan Meili, who had ample criticism but couldn't offer basic answers to when the public health measures should have been implemented or what fines are now appropriate.

Opposition crassness is always criticism without providing alternatives.

But, again, the problem is with government as a whole.

Not to be outdone by Merriman, Policing and Corrections Minister Christine Tell on Thursday responded to the serious outbreak of COVID-19 in Saskatchewan remand centres by saying she couldn't — or wouldn't — do anything about the dangers accompanying overcrowding because these people have been assigned to remand centres for a reason.

It's delicious red meat for the law and order crowd, but what about correction officers exposed to added risks of COVID-19?

What about the reality that people on remand haven't yet been found guilty of anything and it's long been a goal to reduce costly remand time, anyway?

What about the fact we've had to cancel court proceedings, meaning dealing with this problem just got worse?

What about recognizing we are in very different times and we may need to apply a little more humanity?

How about a little less political crassness?