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Today @MSNBC @JoeNBC viewers were treated to a clip of our tearful premier (Canadian equivalent of Governor) making an impassioned plea to Manitobans to act responsibly over the holidays. From an outsider's perspective this looks like leadership.
It's a good message, and @BrianPallister even acknowledges that he's currently hated. That's accurate - his approval rating is the lowest among Canadian premiers at 36% and trails the next lowest premier by 9 full points.
He's wrong about why that is.
He's wrong about why that is.
His assertion is that he's a lightning rod for people's anxiety about the virus. People are upset about not being able to see their families, they're upset about losing their jobs, they're upset about being lonely.
This is all true, but it's not unique to Manitoba.
This is all true, but it's not unique to Manitoba.
The reality is that you can draw a straight line from his deliberate inaction at the beginning of the pandemic to where we're at right now; the highest TP% of any province in Canada, and a busload of our friends and relatives dying every week.
Our provincial mask mandate came into effect Sep 28 - a full 6 months into this pandemic, and having 3 full months of observing masked societies faring better than unmasked ones.
We had 3 full months of @BrianPallister refusing to mandate mask usage on the basis that the province was incapable of enforcing a mandate. It's now been 3 months since the mandate, and we can observe very easily how much of a difference it actually made in changing behaviour.
The enforcement we see today highlights Mr. Pallister's explanations of why we COULDN'T act as excuses, and that's why people are unwilling to give him credit for acting. You don't get to take credit for tossing a bucket on the fire when you've been watching it burn for 3 months.
I'll be happy to change my opinion of Brian Pallister when he starts giving me actual things to point to that demonstrate proactive leadership. Until then he can continue to cry and I'll remain in the 64%.
