Jerrison Oracion
Senior Columnist

 

Imost two years after the previous

Federal Election where Justin Trudeau
and the Liberal Party won a minority
government, a lot has changed for the
future of this country and the rest of the
world. The Coronavirus Pandemic which
began a few months after that election is
still happening but hopefully will end next
year so the recovery process can begin.
Furthermore, the collapse of the Afghani
government was like history repeating
itself and the government’s evacuation
of Canadian allies could influence the
outcome of the Federal Election this year.

While we could have waited until the
pandemic ended, the federal party leaders
are going around the country to campaign.
Despite not having major rallies, the
election ads are starting to be seen in full

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force on TV in an attempt to convince you to
vote for their respective parties. Here is my

analysis of the ads so far as if they were films.

Trudeau’s vision for Canada might
have to be revised given recent events;
though the fundamental principles of
the country are still the same as those
summarized in the first ad the Liberals
released. Epic shots of the country’s
scenery, cities, and archival footage are
mixed with images of the Prime Minister.
Trudeau is seen talking and working with
a variety of people to make the point that
when major events happen, everyone
should speak openly, think big ideas, and
leave no one behind despite differing
opinions. The new slogan: “Forward. For
Everyone.” only loosely changes the slogan
from the previous election.

In what might be the first time
that I’ve seen a candidate in an attack
ad, Trudeau appears to talk about the

 

Election Ads Analysis
2021: The Midway Point

» The ads that you will soon see

Conservative Party’s plan to not pursue a
vaccine mandate. The footage that they
show in it compliments what Trudeau
believes about mandatory vaccinations and
encourages you to think about the values of
getting the shot.

The leader of the Conservative Party,
Erin O'Toole, has a similar vision except he
wants to get straight to work and secure the
future. They also released an epic election
ad that could be shown in movie theatres.

I do respect that he is a hard-working man
who was in the air force for 12 years, also,

he looks like an optimistic person in the
commercial where we see him running;
still, I don’t think he is the friendliest leader
out of all the party leaders much like his
predecessors in the Conservative party.

Unlike Trudeau, the NDP under
Jagmeet Singh claim they want to act on
issues immediately, making things better
instead of saying things and breaking

opinions // no. 12

e Vaccine passports won't do much as the
only way left is force

e Election Ads Analysis 2021: The Midway
Point

..and that's everything!

Illustration by Udeshi Seneviratne

promises. In one ad with handheld
camerawork, the NDP leader explains that
the relief programs that Trudeau offered
during the pandemic were influenced by
his policies. In another election ad, Singh
talks about his mother’s teachings while
everyday families go about their days and
Singh speaks to various Canadians he
has met. The graphics they showed in it
contrast both parties’ ideas and is a great
argument for why Singh should be Prime
Minister.

The ads in Québec present the same
ideas but in a way that you expect in
commercials from that province. So far, the
Green Party has not released election ads
yet and will release them soon.

With less than two weeks left in the
Federal Election this year, more unexpected
events could change the outcome of it again.

We should accept the number we have
because it probably won't get better

» Vaccine passports won't do much as the only way left is force ;

Matthew Fraser
Editor-in-Chief

 

t has recently been announced that UBC,
SFU and a few other BC universities
will be requiring full vaccination for
campus activities. Given the way that
this pandemic has dragged on, at first
glance this seems quite understandable,
many professors could be in a vulnerable
age group and there is likely to be many
students with comorbidities; therefore,
its in the best interest of the school to
ensure a safe environment for all. Even
though I certainly understand the logic
that underlies the idea, I disagree with it
in principle. More accurately, I have mixed
feelings about how much we should feel
comfortable with ostracizing people for
their medical decisions.

With a hair over 69% of BC residents
being fully vaccinated and just over 76%
with their first dose, its clear that just
about everyone who has wanted to get one
has gotten one. When adjusted to exclude
those under the age of 12, 78% of eligible
BC residents are fully vaccinated and 86%
have had at least their first shot. Therefore,
the only people who don't have shots

are those either too young to be eligible

or the few who just don’t want it. Since
universities do not cater to those under

12, its safe to assume that most students
and faculty are vaccinated. So, we should
ask, is it possible to force the remaining
few who are clearly unwilling? As the
surge in the hugely controversial usage of
Ivermectin and the protests in front of BC
hospitals shows, some people would rather
do anything but take the vaccine, so whats
the point of clamping down on them even
further through mandates?

And if the goal is to create an
ultimatum (comply with the vaccination
drive or be excluded from normal life),
we run the risk of further antagonizing
the people who feel looked down on by
the public health push. At this point, half
of the battle may just be that people hate
feeling like they don’t have a choice. As
the vaccination numbers | quoted earlier
should show, most people have made
the choice they wanted to make either
way; it might just be time for us to accept
the fact that 100% eligible vaccination is
impossible short of force. As the oft quoted
philosopher Voltaire once said: “Don't let
perfect be the enemy of good.” 78% fully

vaccinated is quite good,
it might just be time for
us to send our vaccines
to the large swaths of
the world that want

and need them but

are severely limited by
access. That would be
another step towards
good and would help
put the pandemic firmly
behind us.

Finally, post-
secondary institutions
should be a hotbed
of viewpoints and a crucible of debate.
Since most people are vaccinated and
the chance of hospitalization due toa
breakthrough case is astronomically low,
let the unvaccinated defend their position
and argue their point. Some argue that
the unvaccinated are in such a position
due to ‘misinformation; if that’s true, the
last thing we should do is cut them out of
educational institutions. If nothing else,
they will be better convinced through
in person persuasion and debate than
government mandate. This may even help
educate others for how to deal with any

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Photo by Arnaldo Fragozo

similar situation in the future. We should
try to wring every last positive out of this
situation that we can, and education might
be the last drop.

Despite the best educational efforts,
public service announcements, and ease of
access, people will exercise the freedoms
to make disagreeable decisions whether
we like it or not. The unfortunate cost of
societal freedom is that someone will do
something that others dislike. At this point
we may as well acknowledge that anyone
in your vicinity who doesn't have a vaccine
wants to be unvaccinated, why are we still
trying to force them?