Biden charade latest Pallister lie to Manitobans

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 24/05/2021 (1765 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

By this point in the pandemic, most people have figured out Premier Brian Pallister has a tendency to conjure grand acts of melodrama to divert attention away from his more pronounced shortcomings.

But even for the Keystone province’s master political thespian, the Saturday of this Victoria Day long weekend marked an absurdist performance of unparalleled magnificence.

With his province threatening to buckle under the strain of the worst COVID-19 outbreak in North America, Pallister lashed out against — of all people — U.S. President Joe Biden, accusing him of stopping border states from sending unused COVID-19 vaccine doses to Canadian provinces in desperate need.

The premier said he had trucks with onboard freezers standing by to go get the vaccine. “This is a call to arms,” Pallister said several times.

Pallister even released a letter written on May 20, in which he asks Biden to immediately approve the shipment of vaccine to Canada to help with “our collective efforts to get our residents vaccinated as quickly as possible.”

On the face of it, it’s an intriguing story. However, Pallister’s entire premise, along with the timing and the manner in which he made the request to Biden, tell a different story.

In short, this is a desperate lie told to Manitobans in what is easily our darkest hour since the pandemic began more than a year ago.

Let’s first examine Pallister’s letter to Biden.

There are many ways a man as important as Pallister could communicate something urgent to the so-called leader of the free world. But sending a letter addressed to Biden at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW is certainly not one of them.

Normally, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau would be involved or would task senior staff to talk with their counterparts in the White House. In many instances, Canada’s ambassador to the U.S., Kirsten Hillman, would serve as the high-level go-between.

There is no evidence any of that happened.

Emailing a letter to the White House is a charade. Pallister might as well have sent Biden a gift basket of muffins with a note that said: “Thinking of you — call me when you get a chance.”

Even if the letter somehow got in front of the president, it still raises the question: did Biden actually stop border states from sharing vaccines with Canada?

Back on March 1, the White House did rule out the possibility of sending vaccines to Canada and Mexico, given that supply at that time was tenuous. In April, with supplies more certain, Biden said he would share vaccines once he knew his own country had enough.

And then, one week ago — about four days before Pallister wrote his letter — the Biden administration confirmed it would share 80 million doses of vaccine with various countries around the world, including Canada. In fact, Canada has already received about 4.5 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine with indications that more Pfizer will start flowing north shortly.

The lie about Biden stopping shipments to Canada is, lamentably, not the only fib in this charade. There is also no indication North Dakota wants to send us any of their vaccine supply.

North Dakota agreed to vaccinate 1,000 Manitoba truck drivers at a popup clinic on I-29 just south of the border. As generous as this gesture was, it’s still more of a strategic move than an act of charity.

As a major conduit for commercial truck traffic, it is in North Dakota’s best interests to ensure all truck drivers passing through the state have been fully vaccinated.

But does that act of strategic generosity suggest North Dakota would ship additional vaccine to Manitoba?

Not bloody likely.

With one of the highest rates of vaccine hesitancy in the U.S., only 41 per cent of North Dakotans have received at least one shot. Now, compare that with 59 per cent of Manitobans who have received at least one dose.

Also, Manitoba does not seem to have a vaccine shortage on its hands. Currently, the province has more than 100,000 doses of vaccine stockpiled, with more arriving every week. North Dakota, for example, only has 55,000 doses in its stockpile.

Not surprisingly, there have been no news stories or press releases from Gov. Doug Burgum indicating North Dakota is even remotely interested in giving away its vaccine stockpile to Manitoba.

Finally, and most importantly, Pallister implied an expedited vaccine program will somehow dig us out of the pandemic nightmare we find ourselves in. It will not, and to suggest otherwise is the very pinnacle of irresponsibility.

Although vaccinations are the ultimate weapon against this virus, we are not anywhere near the levels of immunizations needed to stop it from spreading.

By the time these theoretical doses of vaccine from North Dakota arrive in Manitoba and get distributed through the province’s capable but pokey immunization system, thousands more Manitobans will have been struck down by COVID-19.

In times of adversity, great political leaders are usually able to find the words and solutions that fit best with the challenges they are facing.

In Manitoba, faced with a raging wildfire of new infections, Pallister has given us histrionics and lies. And the worst part is that no one seems to be able to stop him.

dan.lett@freepress.mb.ca