Unions shouldn't thoughtlessly protect bad employees > When a serial killer can thrive off the system, you know there’s something wrong Katie Czenczek Staff Writer nions are great; they're how we have eight-hour workdays, ensured long-term employment, and protection for employees from being discriminated against based on race, sexuality, religion, and gender. However, one union in particular also managed to allow a nurse to get away with murder. What sounds like the plot to a crime show became reality when Elizabeth Wettlaufer killed eight nursing home patients in her care over two decades in Ontario. Wettlaufer targeted the elderly by injecting them with insulin; she attempted to harm or kill several other patients before turning herself in. After launching a public inquiry into the murders, it was found that Wettlaufer had a string of questionable behaviours that led to her being fired from multiple nursing homes—only Fic bills for the Ontario Nurses Association to intervene. They defended Wettlaufer twice, once altering her firing to a voluntary resignation after she was caught stealing and overdosing on medications in 1995, and a second time at Caressant Care in Woodstock, Ontario, where she was reprimanded numerous times for medical errors and incompetence. It was at Caressant Care where seven out of the eight victims were murdered, and Wettlaufer again received a voluntary resignation from her position, along with $2000 and a letter of recommendation as part of the union settlement in 2014. This allowed her to claim one more victim as she began working at Meadow Park Long Term Care in London, Ontario. Murders aside, someone should have been alarmed by how many cases of misusing drugs Wettlaufer had on her file before she decided to turn herself rig = Not everyone has causetto feel patriotic on Canada Day, nor should they have to > Canada Day is a painfllreminder of colonialism’s legacy for-many Bex Peterson Assistant Editor et’s skip the preamble and get right to the point: Canada is a colonial nation propped up on stolen land. The idea of Canada as a “young” nation, that it’s only “existed” as a populated territory for 151 years, erases thousands of years of Indigenous history, and perpetuates harmful and insulting rhetoric that directly impacts aboriginal communities. Within this context, it’s not only entirely reasonable, but completely understandable, that many might have mixed or negative feelings about Canada Day, and about being surrounded by flag-waving patriotism while the effects of colonialism are still deeply felt. Many people become deeply uncomfortable when this is pointed out to them, largely because certain privileges have allowed them to ignore these facts without much consequence. It’s never comfortable to realize that you benefit from a horrific past and the ongoing oppression of a marginalized group of people. If criticizing this system and the celebration of it puts a damper on your backyard BBQ and fireworks, I’m tempted to suggest that it’s because you haven't been paying attention to what many of these people are saying throughout the rest of the year. Métis author apihtawikosisan had a thread on Twitter on Canada Day pointing out the many hypocrisies and painful realities inflicted on Indigenous communities, and while I would suggest reading the thread in full and following her if you have a Twitter account, one line in particular stood out to me: “I’m an otipéyimisiw- iskwéw not a fucking Canadian.” You cannot demand patriotism and the celebration of Canada from people who never consented to being labelled Canadian in the first place, nor should you. To do so is to actively gaslight their experiences and their history. Immigrants and People of Colour also have every reason to be critical of Canada. Islamophobia is still a deeply- ingrained part of our culture—the “barbaric cultural practices hotline” was only three short years ago, and Muslim Canadians still live in a country alongside many fellow citizens who supported it. Police killing unarmed black men is not an America-specific problem; only last month 32-year-old Orlando Brown died in police custody in Barrie, Ontario after being Tased multiple times during the arrest. I’m not saying you have to cancel that backyard BBQ, or your fireworks. However, you cannot demand that everyone join in on celebrating Canada when Canada does not celebrate everyone throughout the rest of the year. If you're offended by Canada Day criticism, you're missing the bigger picture. As freelance journalist Emily Klatt wrote on Twitter that day, “The best way I know how to love Canada is to demand that we do better.” in. She was regularly caught stealing narcotics and giving the wrong dosages to patients. Even if she wasn’t doing it deliberately, she should have been fired for endangering her patients. Unionization is not responsible for Wettlaufer’s actions. She probably would have found other vulnerable people to target without multiple nursing jobs. The Ontario Nurses Association, however, needs to take accountability for overlooking clear warning signs, and for not investigating why every nursing home Wettlaufer worked for wanted her gone. Unions are supposed to hold both employers and employees liable. At times, I think that the latter is heavily prioritized, which allows employees to get away with bullshit like this. The nursing home murderer from Ontario acts as a grim reminder of the costs of bad employees being protected by their union. It’s aggravating that the Ontario Nurses Association did not take an in-depth look at Wettlaufer’s file before granting her a voluntary resignation on two separate occasions. What is most upsetting about this case is that the Ontario Coroner’s office was contacted twice about Wettlaufer, meaning that there were people who questioned her actions that the union or Caressant Care could have spoken with. Yes, this case may be an extreme example, and it is in no way representative of all unions. However, if you've ever worked at a union job, then you'll know that it is almost impossible to be fired, even when someone really should be. I don’t think that it’s time to ditch unions altogether—they’re important for standing up for worker’s rights—but there does need to be a shift in how much investigating goes into employee termination. That way, tragedies like the Wettlaufer case can be stopped before someone makes it to victim number eight ever again. Stop using Canada Day as an opportunity to criticize the country > This holiday is a time to appreciate the Photo by Analyn Cuarto privileges of living here, don’t be so ungrateful Janis McMath Contributor Cans Day has passed this year and, as always, I enjoyed myself on the glorious day that it is. I value the holiday so much because I think it is a great opportunity for all of us very lucky Canadians to reflect on exactly how lucky we are to be here in a country that provides us with so many freedoms and privileges. I think having a devoted time to appreciate how good we have it here is essential because it is always important to be grateful. That is why I find it insulting that some people “refuse to celebrate Canada,” or think that there is “nothing to celebrate” on Canada Day. Now this is not to say that I don’t think that Canada shouldn't be criticized—there are many ways this country could stand to improve. Criticism is extremely important to the continuing improvement of anything. But being exclusively critical about Canada on the one single day that is devoted to taking some time to be thankful for it comes off as entirely unappreciative and spoiled. It is insulting to immigrants that come to live in Canada. There are thousands of people who come to this country every year looking to settle for many different reasons, ranging from the opportunity for a high income, toa chance to seek refuge from dangerous situations. Canada offers a wealth of advantages that many other countries do not, so to say that there is nothing to celebrate in Canada is an embarrassingly privileged comment. All the immigrants that migrate to Canada have their own reasons to appreciate this country, and when people dismiss Canada Day they dismiss the value foreign-born Canadians have found in this country. Additionally, as students, we understand that tuition is expensive. At Douglas College, the average cost per credit for a domestic student for just tuition fees is $100-120 depending on whether it is an upper or lower level course. The cost per credit for just tuition fees for an international student is $580— yet students are still constantly migrating to Canada for the quality of education, regardless of the much higher prices. It is very inconsiderate to not appreciate the education you have access to as a Canadian when people are travelling from all over and paying through the nose to access it. It is essential to be critical, but it is counter-productive to be nothing but negative; we all need to appreciate the positives. As mentioned earlier, there are many immigrants seeking to come to this country—many for refuge— and if we believe that Canada is good enough for them, it should also be good for us. If we can acknowledge that there are reasons people would want to settle in Canada, then we should be celebrating those reasons on Canada Day. This country is our home and we should never take it for granted.