June 2, 2003
During question period in the House of Commons on May 26, Minister of Health Anne McLellan was questioned about screening for SARS in Canadian airports. Canadian Alliance leader Stephen Harper told the House that he had flown out and back into Canada two weeks before, and had not been asked anything about the disease that is knocking Toronto, and Canada, for an economic loop. Part of the Minister’s response was that people "especially from affected areas fill in a questionnaire."
Currently there are pilot projects in Vancouver and Toronto, where thermal scanners are used to measure the body temperature of air travelers. The next day, McLellan was quoted as saying that the scanners might be pulled from the airports, because some people have complained that they are too intrusive. That begs the question of what is too intrusive at an airport. Since the 1970s, when terrorists and Marxists seeking a free trip to idyllic Cuba made airline hijackings a regular occurrence, passengers have been required to walk through metal detectors, be wanded, and have their personal belongings checked. There were cries of "intrusion" back then. After the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, security was stepped up, and little old ladies were searched and had their knitting needles, nail clippers, and other weapons of mass destruction seized. Those about to board planes were required to turn on their laptops and cell phones to show that they were not explosive devices. In November 2001, after Richard Reid (who was too cheap to buy a lighter) was caught lighting matches in an attempt to ignite a bomb in his shoe, some passengers are required to take their shoes off prior to being allowed to board an aircraft. To say that scanning a person’s temperature in the milieu of security measures that now exists in airports borders on the ludicrous. There must be another reason.
SARS originated in China, and was brought to Canada from Hong Kong. As Torontonians avoided Asian restaurants and businesses, those in the race industry yelped cries of "racism." These politically correct saviors of society conveniently neglected to mention that many of those people boycotting Asian businesses were themselves Asian or of Asian descent. In order to prevent SARS-infected people from coming into Canada, it is really only necessary to screen flights from Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, and Vietnam or, as the Health Minister neutrally refers to these countries, the "affected areas". Since thermal scanners are too expensive to use on flights from Wawa to Flin Flon, the government doesn’t feel comfortable just screening flights to and from Asia, where a high proportion of passengers are ethnic Asians. Acting in a politically correct manner takes precedence over the health of Canadians, including the health of those whom the government doesn’t want to "offend" with the screening procedures. This is perhaps the reason why the scanners were brought out, so that Foreign Affairs Minister Bill Graham could have a photo-op walking through one before the machines were shelved for a few weeks.
This theory would be in keeping with the way the government of Canada acts. Recently, the Auditor General criticized Citizenship and Immigration Canada for not notifying provincial departments of health of refugee claimants whose medical examinations have revealed tuberculosis or syphilis, so that these people can be put under medical surveillance. The claimants themselves are not notified until and unless their refugee claims have been accepted. The only possible reason for this is that the feds don’t want to be seen as "stigmatizing" the recent arrivals, and being politically correct is more important than preventing them from unknowingly spreading disease.
And what does Prime Minister Jean Chrétien have to say about the fight against SARS? While in Athens, the littlest guy from Shawinigan took time out of his busy schedule of boasting, bragging, and Bush-bashing to tell reporters that SARS is under control. Chrétien hadn’t even bothered to get updated on the then recent news that a school just north of Toronto had been closed, and the students placed under quarantine. It’s all under control. Don’t worry--be happy.
The Canadian government prides itself on Canada’s health system, but the well being of Canadians isn’t as important as ensuring that any actions that are taken are politically correct, and free from any possibility that a certain group or groups might be offended.