FROLITICKS

Satirical commentary on Canadian and American current political issues

Apr 14

Yes, Inflation is Real. However, Climate Change is Just as Real.

by bcurry

Living in Ottawa, April can normally be an unpredictable month for the weather.  However, going from freezing rain on one day last week to 28 (centigrade) degree heat the following week is really abnormal.  In addition, the famous longest skating rink — in the Rideau Canal — did not open for the first time in over 50 years of operation due to unusual warmer weather this past winter.  With extreme weather events around the world, even climate change deniers have to sit up and take note.

Years ago, the federal government in Canada imposed a “carbon tax,” which puts a price on greenhouse gas emissions.  Yes, this tax does contribute to inflation, particularly because of the federal fuel charge which affects drivers and businesses everywhere.  However, one must take into account the economic and environmental costs of climate change which are becoming increasingly a major burden on governments and people due to infrastructure damages and related deaths.  Someone will have to pay for infrastructure improvements and maintenance in order to avoid the detrimental impact of future extreme weather events.

There is a need for policies and programs that put a price on pollution and help consumers manage rising costs.  To blame measures aimed at combating climate change and reducing greenhouse emissions is short sighted.  Green technologies need to be supported and everyone is going to have to adjust their standard of living and consumption accordingly. 

Doesn’t matter where you live as the environment and climate change are global issues!  Don’t point to the environmental impact of China, India and other countries in order to argue that we can’t do enough to deal with the issue.  Over forty percent of the world’s consumption occurs in North America, and we need to show more environmental leadership.  China and the U.S. are the world’s two biggest greenhouse gas emitters, so any attempt to address the climate crisis will need to involve deep emissions cuts from these two powerhouse nations. China’s emissions are more than double those of the U.S., but historically the US has emitted more than any other country in the world.  On a per capita basis, Canada is just as guilty.

There is little doubt that food will become even more expensive due to the impact of extreme weather events on agriculture.  Just look to California which is a major producer of fruits and vegetables, or to mid-west U.S. states which provide red meat and grain products.  Farmers are finding it harder to produce because of higher costs for feed, fertilizers and fuel.  Farmers have to adapt to help reduce greenhouse emissions, while introducing more green technologies.  Yes, the initial costs will be high, but the long term benefits will be great and will reduce those costs.  Governments will have to support farmers during this much needed transition.

For too long, all of us have been consuming without having to pay for the real costs associated with environmental impacts.  It’s about time that we wake up and realize these outcomes.  For those lower income groups who are particularly affected by inflationary costs, society will have to help out them and their families to at least have a reasonable standard of living.  This can be done by income tax credits, living wages, affordable housing, universal health insurance, subsidized education opportunities, and improved social assistance programs.  As two of the world’s wealthiest countries, the U.S. and Canada do not have any excuse to provide an annual minimum income — something talked about for several decades.

More corporations have to play a greater role in supporting technological innovations aimed at reducing pollution and greenhouse emissions.  They have to pay their fair share (e.g. corporate taxes) for operating in a stable economy and one which strives to provide for a fair level field to operate in.  Carbon taxes are one way of encouraging innovation and rewarding businesses by recognizing the associated costs designed to reduce greenhouse emissions.

Moreover, we all have to be accountable and environmentally friendly.  Otherwise, extreme weather events like those in Ottawa will unfortunately become the norm.

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Apr 2

Trump Could Run For President.  This Could Not Happen in Canada.

by bcurry

Legal exerts in the U.S. believe that former President Trump could run for president from prison.  Two previous candidates, Eugene V. Debs in 1920, and Lyndon LaRouche in 1992, both unsuccessfully ran from prison.  Experts note that there’s nothing in the Constitution preventing him from doing so.  Much will be determined by the outcome of a trial over Donald Trump’s indictment by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office which investigated Trump’s personal and business finances, including a payment by Michael Cohen, Trump’s formal personal lawyer.  The payment was made to adult-film star Stormy Daniels days before the 2016 election.  One major drawback is, if convicted, Trump would be subject to the same rules as other prisoners, which could definitely restrict his communications and ability to appear at events.  Furthermore, he would need to rely on proxies to campaign for him.  This of course removes Trump from the hustings which has proven to be his greatest strength on the campaign trail, especially among his followers.

Whether or not Trump is found guilty, the situation leaves the Republicans in a major bind, especially during their primaries to select their next candidate to run for president.  Trump’s core is still evidently strong and could mount a serious protest against the choice of any other Republican candidate.  In light of this, there is also nothing to stop Trump from declaring himself an independent candidate for president.  This in turn would most likely split the conservative support in the next election, much to the benefit of the Democrats and the incumbent president.

What’s interesting is such a situation could not occur in Canada as the Prime Minister (PM) is the leader of the party which gets the most seats in Parliament.  Unlike the American president, one does not vote directly for the PM, but votes for candidates of a political party within their electoral riding.  The party leader is selected through a party’s leadership convention, although in the case of an incumbent PM, his leadership is usually automatic unless contested within the party.  A PM typically sits as a member of Parliament (MP).  Once a party achieves the majority of seats in the House of Commons, the leader can then form the government and he or she is designated by the Governor General to fulfill the role of PM.  Thus, he or she could never run for leader of a party and in turn PM from prison.

Since the indictment of former President Trump is the first of its kind in American history, there are a few unknowns as to how everything will unfold.  One must also remember that Trump is still under investigation for other things, including other ongoing investigations related to his role in the Capitol riot, an alleged scheme to overturn election results in Georgia, and his handling of government records.  What’s interesting is that the indictment and these investigations have not really damaged Trump’s popularity among conservatives.  A very recent poll taken post-indictment indicates that Trump’s lead over Ron DeSantis in the 2024 GOP presidential primary surged to a 26-point.  In the poll, 57% of those asked said they would vote for Trump, while 31% indicated that they would back DeSantis.  This whole scenario represents a very real problem for the Republican Party, despite their outcries over Trump’s indictment.

Only in America you say!  America’s democratic institutions have been under attack for some time now from the far-right.  This entire predicament simply adds to the turmoil.  It is obvious that the authorities have to handle the whole episode with diplomacy and silk gloves.  In the end, whatever the eventual outcome of this indictment and ongoing investigations, the whole affair could become a political circus.  Certainly, no one, including a former president, is above the law.  Donald Trump is no exception.  The best thing that could happen is for Trump to withdraw his candidacy to be the Republican presidential candidate.  However, I strongly believe, knowing Trump, that this will never happen!

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Mar 30

No Democracy Today Can Avoid Being Tested By Political Turmoil

by bcurry

President Joe Biden recently visited Canada for what became a real love-in with his opposite Justin Trudeau, the Canadian Prime Minister.  In his speech to Parliament, Biden frequently related to the close relationship to Canada, including our democratic values and institutions.  However, all is not well in both countries.  The U.S. had last year’s violent January 6th insurrection at the Capital and Canada had the truckers’ 3-week illegal occupation of streets within Ottawa’s parliamentary precinct.  Observers claim that a lot of these events are related to what is perceived by some Americans and Canadians as a lack of trust in police, the courts and government at all levels.  What’s worst, in the U.S. you had a former president who refused to accept the results of the last presidential election and today continues to espouse to his followers that the election was stolen.

This past week, President Biden delivered remarks at the second White House-led Summit for Democracy, but at a time when several democracies are under duress of some kind.  One can refer to political conditions in so-called significant democratic countries such as Israel, Mexico, India and Brazil.  Democratic setbacks have also occurred in West Africa, where there have been coups in Mali and Burkina Faso in recent years.  For example, in Nigeria, a country of 220 million people, experts say that the presidential election last February appeared suspect.  At the above noted summit, two notable members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Hungary and Turkey, were excluded in light of fact that their autocratic political systems have grown no less repressive during Mr. Biden’s tenure.

Underlying all this issue is the fact that dictatorships such as Russia and China have been trying to increase their economic and political influence in countries, particularly in Africa and South America.  Both the governments of Russia and China have been accused of having meddled in recent American and Canadian electoral processes.  Dealing effectively with these countries needs to be done in order to avoid any foreign influence in democratic processes.

In the U.S., even the fundamental right of Americans to vote is being challenged in some states where various forms of new voting restrictions or requirements have being implemented or considered, notably by Republican states.  In some cases, such restrictions will especially affect voting by minority groups, college students and marginalized persons. 

Unfortunately, much of political turmoil has been the result of extreme divisions within our societies and large amounts of misinformation and disinformation being spread through on-line social media.  Mainstream media sources, fundamentally important to supporting democratic processes, are continuously under attack.  Journalists themselves have been verbally and physically attacked by extreme politicized groups, both right and left.

Human and civil rights are in danger of being weakened in democratic countries.  Many of the important gains achieved by LGBTQ groups in the last couple of decades are increasingly coming under attack, especially by religious right-wing segments of our societies.  Organized local protests have even occurred against school boards in both countries, and appear to be gaining strength.  Elected school board representatives have increasingly come under attack when it comes to school policies protecting the rights of LGBTQ youth and education regarding sexual orientation.

Generally, trust and confidence in our democratic institutions has to be restored in order to maintain our taken-for-granted freedoms.  Civility has to return to how we conduct our affairs and the rule of law has to be strengthened.  Otherwise, we will only see more and more serious threats to democracies, either here in Canada, the U.S. or abroad.  Words and platitudes are all fine, but actions are now needed.

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Mar 25

Ridiculous Unenforceable Laws Denying Youth Access to Social Media Apps

by bcurry

Recent laws to be enacted in Republican Utah mean that children and teens under 18 would lose access to social media apps such as TikTok and Instagram if they don’t have parental consent.  They now face other restrictions under a first-in-the-nation law designed to shield young people from the so-called “addictive platforms”.  One law would also open the door to lawsuits on behalf of children claiming social media harmed them, something that would be very difficult to prove in court.  This move by the Republicans is hypocritical given that they have argued against any censorship in the past when it comes to restricting Internet access, arguing such government actions infringe on constitutional rights to freedom of speech.  This despite the fact that past concerns had been raised by some lawmakers over user privacy, hate speech, misinformation and harmful effects on teens’ mental health found in apps provided by other tech giants like Facebook and Google.

Some apps already have age restrictions.  For example, from the outset Facebook required everyone to be at least 13 years old before they can create an account (although in some jurisdictions, this age limit may be higher).  Creating an account with false info is a violation of its terms. This includes accounts registered on the behalf of someone under 13.  However, it is really left up to the parents, who in most cases supposedly oversee their children’s use of apps, to deal with underage children.  If an underage child created an account on Facebook, the company explains how the parents can delete the child’s account.  Thus, the onus is on the parents.  However, children have been shown to easily get around such bans, both with and without their parents’ consent.  Trying to prevent 14 to 17 year olds from accessing TikTok or any other social media app is also mind-boggling.  It tough enough for parents to oversee teenagers use of social media, never mind trying to limit their access.  After all, in this age of social media, many teens have come to rely on its use to stay in contact with their friends as part of modern socialization (especially during the pandemic).  It’s like trying to take their cellphones away!  As one university professor of child development in Utah warned, the state’s measure could inadvertently boomerang, exacerbating youth mental health issues by cutting off vulnerable young people from important sources of information and support.

Instead, recognizing that prolonged and over use of social media can have an impact not only on the mental health of youth, but also that of adults.  Yes, bullying and sexting can be facilitated by social media, but these issues can also happen through in-person and other means.  Indeed, laws against bullying and child pornography already exist and the authorities can deal with such inappropriate and often illegal behaviour on-line or through other means.

However, the question of user privacy on social media, especially for that of children, is a very serious one.  What is really needed is better education of people and readily accessible information for people to make them more fully aware of the dangers of providing certain types of information via social media.  There is little doubt that TikTok and others are harvesting information provided through the use of their apps.  Although it is apparently rare that such info is used for nefarious purposes, the fact of the matter is that it’s out there.  Last year, California enacted a law requiring tech companies to put kids’ safety first by barring them from profiling children or using personal information in ways that could harm children physically or mentally.  Hopefully, such laws will force social media providers to take enhanced precautionary measures to protect children.  The onus here, as it should be, is on the providers.

The controversial suggestion that social media use can lead to a form of “addiction” is still up for debate, given the normal behavioural patterns and general physical dependencies associated with addicts.  If there is a concern, it is the total dependency of a child on social media for social development purposes.  It may suggest a degree of isolation and poor people skills at a young age, which could have developmental implications leading into adolescence and adulthood.  Rather than simply banning a child from using social media, parents need to seek open communication and possibly expert help in dealing with such concerns.  In my opinion, this issue is a societal and parental one and not one that overbearing governments can regulate.

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Mar 20

How Big Corporations Are Greenwashing When It Comes To The Environment

by bcurry

Back in 2010, Heather Rogers wrote in “Green Gone Wrong: How Our Economy Is Undermining the Environmental Revolution” that green capitalism is actually undermining ecological progress.  In 2016, the Business Development Bank of Canada launched a $135 million fund that will invest in entrepreneurial startup companies in the energy and clean technology sector.  The Bank anticipated investing the money over several years into between 15 and 20 Canadian firms that demonstrate global potential in green tech fields.  A drop in the bucket!  Now, a group comprising Canada’s big banks and financial institutions is working on a new set of labels to clearly identify “green” financial products for investors.  However, they are facing accusations of “greenwashing”.  Some refer to “greenwashing” as it applies to efforts by companies or governments to make businesses or commercial activities look less damaging to the planet than they really are.

Now, we are all familiar with the term “whitewashing” which alludes to efforts to cover up wrongdoing or hide embarrassing mistakes by governments or corporations.  In some cases, it most often involves trying to put a more favourable face on corporate initiatives by highlighting the positive attributes of new products or services.  However, informed consumers normally can see through the marketing strategies aimed at encouraging people to use their services and products, regardless of any attempt at whitewashing.

With increasing concern over climate change and environmental issues, governments and corporations are plugging their efforts to reduce their negative environmental footprint impacts, primarily through the implementation of green technologies and so-called “sustainable development”.  Part of the reason that corporations are marketing their efforts is primarily to convince investors to invest in their enterprises and consumers to consume their products.  Automotive manufacturers are now skirring around in the race to produce more electric vehicles, each stressing their mission to eventually eliminate vehicles run by combustion engines.  Oil and gas companies are advertising their efforts to develop and implement carbon capture and storage technologies.  Perhaps, too little, too late?  In 2018, a report by the World Energy Outlook (WEO) released by the International Energy Agency projected that global fossil fuel use — and related emissions — would grow out to 2040, as oil, gas and coal continue to dominate the energy picture.  At that time, the WEO stipulated that the percentage of total global primary energy demand provided by wind and solar was only 1.1 percent. 

Moreover, when it comes to assessing whether green investments are truly valid is not easy, given the connections of many corporations to general profits and the bottom line.  Consumers and investors find it difficult to determine to what extent greenwashing is taking place.  In some cases, the claims of corporations have been discovered to be bogus.  Take for example, the Competition Bureau last year ordered Keurig Canada to pay a $3-million penalty for falsely claiming its single-use K-Cup pods can be recycled.  In another case, a group of environmental organizations, including the Sierra Club and the Indigenous Environmental Network, ranked the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) fifth globally among major banks financing the fossil fuel industry.  However, in marketing materials, RBC states that it is “fully committed” to supporting drastically reducing greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050.

This is not to say that all companies are disingenuous in promoting their initiatives aimed at reducing negative impacts on the environment.  Many manufacturing and warehousing facilities have reduced their energy uses, green gas emissions and general environmental footprint.  Some provincial governments in Canada are also guilty of dishonest campaigns focusing on short-term emission reductions made in the certain sectors, but failing to define what “sustainability” really means for the province in the long-term.  All of this to say that each of us have to take such marketing with a grain of salt.  I’m certain that I will.

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Mar 13

Work-Life Balance and Shift to More Stay-at-Home Fathers

by bcurry

One thing that the pandemic has done is to give more fathers, notably those working remotely, a chance to spend more time with their family members, especially their children.  A study by Statistics Canada in 2010 indicated that about 12 percent of stay-at-home parents were the fathers, triple the number recorded in 1986.  I would expect that many of us probably know at least one or more parenting couples where the man has stayed at home for a number of valid and rational reasons.  Often, it is the fact that the woman is in a better paying job with good health and dental benefits, as well as opportunities for advancement.  Due to changes in the labour market, data has shown that women increasingly have become the top earner in the family.  In many cases, there are considerations over the high cost of childcare, particularly where it is not subsidized by the state and where affordable and licensed childcare is lacking.  From a monetary point of view, it just doesn’t make any financial sense for both parents to work.

A survey by Harvard’s Making Caring Common project in June 2020 found that more than two-thirds of fathers said they felt closer to their children since the pandemic started.  As well, according to a Morning Consult survey for The New York Times in 2022, 47 percent of employed fathers said flexibility and control over their hours was a top priority.  This is 10 percentage points more than those who said they felt that way before the pandemic.  Recruiters are also now seeing more and more men with families who are asking about the company’s position on flexible hours and parental leave provisions.

Surprisingly, many employers still require long, inflexible hours and penalize workers for prioritizing family life.  However, what the pandemic and its impact on working conditions did is to expedite what was already a known trend in the labour market.  Working remotely has given more fathers the opportunity to share greater responsibility in household duties and childcare.  Where both parents worked, working women in the past had to do most of the household work. Now, all that has changed with the advent of new technologies and working conditions.  In many occupations in certain industries, telework and hybrid work have increasingly become the norm. 

There is little doubt that efforts to reduce the costs of childcare and ensure the quality of public and private childcare providers will result in influencing the current trends, particularly in Canada.  Recently, provincial governments signed on to a major federal initiative to increase the amount of affordable childcare spaces across the country over the next five to ten years.

Regardless, more and more fathers will be looking to their employers to accommodate having more time to spend with their families.  The issue of work-life balance is at the top of their agenda, forcing employers to adjust accordingly if they wish to retain experienced and motivated employees, both men and women.

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Mar 8

China Tried to Meddle in Our Elections, but What Should Come Next?

by bcurry

In recent months in both Canada and the U.S., main media sources have been raising questions about China’s attempts to influence our elections.  However, the involvement of the Chinese government abroad has taken a number of initiatives not only during elections but also all year round.  Not only are they interfering in our affairs, whether through disinformation campaigns, illegal campaign activities or threatening and intimidating nationals of their countries who now live in Canada and the U.S., but also through so-called Chinese police stations.  Both Canada and the U.S. have significant Chinese communities, particularly on the west coast and in cities such as Toronto and New York.  According to the New York Times, Chinese outposts are suspected by the F.B.I. of conducting police operations without jurisdiction or diplomatic approval — one of more than 100 such outfits around the world that are unnerving diplomats and intelligence agents.  Western officials see the outposts as part of Beijing’s larger drive to keep tabs on Chinese nationals abroad, including dissidents.

Declining to get into specifics, Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Brenda Lucki, went on record to stipulate that the RCMP is investigating four such Chinese police stations and that investigation is ongoing.  Chinese personnel at these outposts have been known to carry out surveillance and to covertly harass both American and Canadian citizens of Chinese origin and Chinese nationals.  Beijing on the other hand has explained that these police stations are meant to track down known fugitives abroad and force them to return home.  In response, Canadian officials have called for China to shut down police operations in Canada.  The F.B.I. has carried out at least one raid which was the first known example of the authorities seizing materials from one of the outposts.

Since national opposition parties in Canada have continued to call for a public inquiry into China’s attempts to influence recent federal elections, they have forced Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to at least introduce a review process to be carried out by an independent person with required and acceptable qualifications.  This individual will determine whether or not a full public inquiry could be undertaken without disclosing on-going national security initiatives.  No one denies that China’s evident attempt to influence our elections is a real threat to undermining trust in our electoral processes.  The question then becomes, what can we realistically do about it?  Expelling Chinese officials could be one means to get our point across, but could also lead to a diplomatic war involving the retaliatory expulsion of Canadian/American diplomats and officials.  In the meantime, in order to ensure that our democratic ways are not undermined, one could begin by encouraging and supporting counter measures within both countries.

For example, when it comes to the spreading of misinformation, via the internet or other means, both Americans and Canadians need to be better informed as to where the information is coming from.  In Canada, parties select candidates in each riding through voting processes by registered members.  It has been suggested that the Chinese have sent non-citizens of Chinese descent to vote in constituency candidate meetings in order to support the selection of candidates who support China’s positions on Hong Kong and Taiwan.  The solution appears to be simple enough!  Party officials should only register Canadian citizens for voting purposes, candidate selection being a strong democratic process. 

The last thing that Canadians and Americans want to do is take it out on our Chinese population in response to the Chinese government’s incursion into our democratic processes.  Intimidation and threats of any community members is unacceptable to say the least, and needs to be investigated and stopped by our police and security forces.  Due to the current tense relations between China and the West, one can understand why governments don’t want to get into a full out diplomatic war.  There is little doubt that economic implications are enormous for both Canada and the U.S., particularly when it comes to China and trade.  Nevertheless, we owe it to both our citizens of Chinese descent and to all citizens to make it clear that illegitimate activities by the Chinese regime need to stop.  As citizens, we all have to do our part and become better informed about such activities.

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Mar 3

Employ of Children in High Risk Jobs Still Exists in North America

by bcurry

In my experience in the occupational health and safety (OHS) field at the federal level in Canada over two decades, I came across numerous examples of young people, often 13 to 17 years old, who were killed or injured on the job.  In both Canada and the U.S., labour standards legislation prescribes that young people of certain ages cannot work in employment where risks to health and safety are high — such as mining, construction, agriculture, oil and gas, roofing, meat processing, commercial baking, forestry, etc., etc.  Normally, to work in higher risk jobs, persons must be 18 or older and require more OHS training and supervision than older workers.  This is the law.  However, U.S. federal law still allows those 12 and older to work on farms for unlimited hours, as long as there is no conflict with school.  For general nonfarm work, federal law sets 14 as the minimum age and restricts work for children under 16 to eight hours a day.

Regardless, there continue to be cases where child labour is still seen in certain industries, particularly where the exposure to hazards and safety risks are clearly part of the work.  For example, in 2011 American public health experts and federal labor officials sought to bar teenagers under 16 from the tobacco fields, citing the grueling hours and the harmful exposure to nicotine and other chemicals.  However, their efforts have been continuously blocked.  Opponents of such use of child labour noted that Brazil, India and some other tobacco-producing nations already prohibit anyone under 18 from working on tobacco farms.  American agricultural organizations argued that the proposed federal rule would hurt family farms and make it harder for young people to learn farming skills. The Obama administration withdrew the the proposal in April 2012 after encountering intense opposition from farm groups and Republican lawmakers.  At the time, some big tobacco corporations however said they strongly opposed the illegal use of child labour.  Philip Morris International bans its growers from using workers under 18, a measure that goes well beyond American law. Some labour contractors, however, evidently have flouted this requirement without the growers’ knowledge.

This past week, the New York Times published an article which investigated the number of migrant children ending up in dangerous jobs that violate child labour laws — including in plants that make products for well-known brands like Cheetos and Fruit of the Loom and belong to companies supplying Hearthside Food Solutions, Walmart, Target, PepsiCo, Ben & Jerry’s, Whole Foods, Ford and General Motors.  Many of these children, 13 to 17, are falling through wide cracks in the regulatory system.  The Times noted that the growth of migrant child labour in the U.S. over the past several years is a result of a chain of wilful ignorance.  Companies ignore the young faces in their back rooms and on their factory floors.  Schools often decline to report apparent labour violations, believing it will hurt children more than help.  And the Department of Health and Human Services, responsible for ensuring sponsors will support these children and protect them from trafficking or exploitation, behaves as if the migrant children who melt unseen into the country are doing just fine.  Too many people are turning a blind eye!

Some of these children will actually die on the job.  For example, the Times reported that recent deaths included a 14-year-old food delivery worker who was hit by a car while on his bike at a Brooklyn intersection; a 16-year-old who was crushed under a 35-ton tractor-scraper outside Atlanta; and a 15-year-old who fell 50 feet from a roof in Alabama where he was laying down shingles.  Over the years, I found numerous examples of young people (13 to 17) in Canada being killed while in higher-risk employment.  Many more have been injured on the job, often seriously.

Of equal concern is that the evident use of migrant children by scurrilous businesses has led to increased child trafficking in the U.S.  Traffickers bring in migrant children illegally, give them fake I.D.s and find them businesses willing to turn a blind eye and employ them.  This is all being done despite the knowledge and oversight of several federal, state and local authorities.  Finally, after several media investigative sources raised this issue, the Biden administration just announced a wide crackdown on the labour exploitation of migrant children, including more aggressive investigations of companies benefiting from their work and the larger companies that have child labour in their supply chains.  In addition, Congress needs to increase penalties for child labour violations, which may now be occurring in the thousands.  Federal investigators have long complained that the maximum fine for violations — about $15,000 per occurrence — is hardly enough to deter child labour.  It’s about time that something concrete may be done!

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Feb 25

Is Changing Text in Classic Novels a New Form of Censorship?

by bcurry

This week is Freedom to Read Week (February 19 to 25).  In Canada, we have the Freedom to Read Foundation which organizes this week and is sponsored by the Book and Periodical Council (BPC), the umbrella organization for Canadian associations whose members are primarily involved with the writing, editing, translating, publishing, producing, distributing, lending, marketing, reading and selling of written words.  Through earlier blogs, I have been an advicate for any persons or organizations that oppose the banning of books or overt censorship in reading materials, whether in our schools, libraries or publishing firms.  Imagine that books such as Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale and Mariko Tamaki’s This One Summer are among those books that have been challenged in North America.  The list is much more extensive in states such as Florida and Texas, where there have been right-wing efforts to ban swaths of stories about Black Americans and LGBTQ people.

The latest example of overreach concern classic books by Roald Dahl, wherein the U.K. publisher, Puffin U.K., decided that there was a need to censor several of the author’s cherished children’s stories.  News broke last week that hundreds of changes were made in the latest editions of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” “Matilda” and other Dahl classics.  The changes reportedly have been made to align his language with modern standards of inclusion, diversity and accessibility.  In “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” for instance, Augustus Gloop is no longer “fat”; he’s “enormous.”  And the Oompa Loompas aren’t “small men”; they’re “small people.” While Matilda once went to India with Rudyard Kipling, now she travels to California with John Steinbeck.  In “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” even the chickens’ feelings have been spared; they’re no longer called “stupid.”  These changes remind me of the removal of the n-word in Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn.  However, these more recent publishers’ changes are even more ridiculous!

This movement is once again a result of attempts by certain factions of today’s society and parents to protect their children from exposure to so-called sensitive materials, as well as the rise of so-called “safetyism.”  For some reason, there are those that believe children and adolescents are so fragile that they need to be protected from stressors.  What I don’t understand is that almost all books are reviewed by schools and libraries before they are made available to children and adults alike.  According to well defined criteria, they are then placed in the appropriate areas depending upon the recommended areas of interest and applicable reader ages.  In addition, parents do have to option of contesting the criteria and limiting what is read by their children at home.

Trying to limit ourselves and our children’s exposure to history and past societal attitudes appears to be another means by which we are shielding people from the realities of certain times reflected in past and modern literature.  This behavior in turn leads to more and more censorship based on one’s perceived needs to provide such protection, often to the detriment in the normal development of youth in our society.  While language evolves from one generation to another, it partly does so because of our understanding and appreciation of history itself.  Changing words to reflect current morality and societal values does not change our history.  Indeed, we are doing a disservice to up and coming generations if we continue to attempt to shield them from certain past and current realities.  How otherwise do we get the opportunity to seriously and frankly discuss certain critical issues, both past and current?  This process is what constitutes the very basis of knowledge, regardless of the disciplines involved.  How else can we learn to deal with certain realities, thereby creating a greater chance for future understanding, respect and tolerance?

We may not always like what we read, but in a democracy one has the right to be free to choose what we read.  This is what universal literacy is all about.  The more resources that we can freely access, without censorship, the better!

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Feb 20

Telehealth Raises New Concerns About How Drugs Are Dispensed in North America

by bcurry

Back in 2020, at the height of the pandemic, the Trump administration made it easier to treat patients by telehealth or telemedicine, including remotely prescribing certain controlled substances.  Today, all manner of medical care, from management of chronic diseases like diabetes to substance abuse treatment, have become more accessible and affordable.  While many patients have benefited, the rapid growth of remote prescribing and at-home use of various drugs has outpaced the evidence that doing so is safe and effective.  As the gap between medical treatment and online shopping has narrowed, already-thorny debates over the proper balance between availability and safety have become increasingly urgent.  The introduction of telehealth has created a whole new industry when it comes to providing health care, especially with the provision of drugs used to treat such mental health issues such as depression.

Back in 2017, I read about a new use for the drug ketamine, a long-used anesthetic that was primarily used to sedate patients during surgery but has also been used as a date-rape drug.   Ketamine was undergoing studies by several researchers both in Canada and the U.S. for its ability to rapidly stop suicidal thoughts in a high percentage of patients.  As far back as 2013, one Canadian researcher, Dr. Pierre Blier, director of the mood disorders research unit at the Royal Ottawa Hospital, called ketamine the biggest breakthrough since the introduction of anti-depressants.  For patients resistant to other drug treatments, it is considered an alternative to one of the only remaining treatments — electroconvulsive therapy, which has potential long-lasting side effects and is more invasive and often requires hospitalization.  For anyone suffering from clinical depression, ketamine has been shown to be effective and safe if prescribed and closely monitored by an attending physician.  Needless-to-say, there are known serious side-effects from the use of ketamine, and there is a potential for addiction and abuse.

The access to cheaper sources of ketamine for at-home treatment has been facilitated by the emergence of telehealth.  Marketing to doctors is often done through social media posts and mailers, wherein they extol the benefits of ketamine.  Companies that once served primarily local customers now ship their products across the country.  The ketamine boom has presented an alluring opportunity.  Because ketamine is regulated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Health Canada as a controlled substance, provision of the drug still requires a physician’s prescription.  Previously, while prescribing ketamine for depression was allowed, patients needed to first meet in person with a doctor, and treatment was mostly limited to infusions in clinics.  Now, telehealth providers will accommodate patients by providing online access to a physician.  Patients have the option to schedule live telemedicine visits with their providers at any time for no additional cost.  Needless-to-say, this isn’t an ideal situation when it comes to providing medical follow-up for monitoring purposes.  Some at-home providers simply view ketamine as just another medicine to be taken regularly.

Covid-19 exacerbated the nation’s mental health crisis and underscored the inadequacy of many existing treatments, accelerating a reconsideration of once-stigmatized psychedelics.  The sale of ketamine has reportedly grown ten times what it was in 2019.  People who are using telehealth to acquire the drug are desperate, but may also be prone to addiction and abuse.  Some suffer serious health side-effects but are hesitant to report them for fear of loosing their cheaper access to the drug.  One the one hand, the growth of telehealth is yet one more example of reacting to the lack of availability and affordable access to mental health services in many communities.  On the other hand, there are those that worry that this potentially lifesaving treatment could become inaccessible if more rigorous intervention by regulators is implemented.  In addition, more research on the long-term use of such drugs as ketamine is needed to determine if its continuous medical use might be harmful.  Since many online users are reluctant to provide information about its use, such needed research may be more difficult to undertake.  Like access to other controlled substances, regulators need to take a closer look at the growth of telemedicine in both countries.  After all, if there are profits to be made and drug costs are reduced, one can certainly foresee the continuing growth of this sector.

Canada Health Care Health Care Systen US

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