Ottawa should not provide Alberta field hospitals. No way. There are several reasons ... in this thread. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/alberta-field-hospitals-red-cross-1.5825439

First, the COVID mess is Alberta’s own making, after ignoring mountains of advice. Kenney, Shandro, and Hinshaw chose this.

The UCP preached “personal responsibility”, rather than order disease controls. Very well: let Kenney, Shandro, and Hinshaw be personally responsible.

Second, Alberta is the richest province in Canada, so if it needs a bailout, it should pay 100%. This disaster, was made in Alberta, by Albertans, ignoring common sense. It is unjust for poor Atlantic Canada, a COVID success, to subsidize rich Alberta’s cocky failure.

Third, Kenney and Shandro never miss a chance to say that healthcare is a provincial, not federal, responsibility. Nothing embodies healthcare more than a hospital. Unless they swallow several plates of crow, and admit it is a federal jurisdiction too, let the province do it.

Fourth, if Ottawa will provide field hospitals, there must be a quid pro quo that the UCP imposes minimum standards of disease control. It is absurd to provide hospitals without also reducing the infections that send people to hospital. The UCP must offer that, or no deal.

I realize Albertans are in danger, which is awful. I would have liked Ottawa to impose minimum standards of disease control on all provinces sooner. But Alberta rejected that. This is a good moment to remember: if you don’t “bail in” nationally, you might not get bailed out.

To close: this isn’t a natural disaster that nobody saw coming, but a made-in-Edmonton disaster that everyone saw coming.

Before Ottawa offers help, Alberta MUST agree to pay 100%, and MUST implement a hard lockdown—or no deal because there is no free lunch. *end*