Growing up, my parents would tell me doing the right thing can be hard. I reacted as any teenager would. Then, I found myself saying the same thing to my girls and discovered they really were their father’s children. And now we’re all in the same position – doing the right thing amid tough times.
We’ve all seen the pictures of the protests by those who oppose the provincial government’s new rules around vaccination cards. And they have the legitimate right to protest. But they don’t have the right to put health care workers and patients at risk. The men and women who have fought on the front lines deserve our respect and patients need access to treatment.
And I want to talk about the small business owners and their staff who are being asked to implement these rules.
This is not a choice for them. They are following the law. So, don’t take it out on them or their staff. That isn’t going to change the government’s mind on this. It’s just going to make things harder for everyone. A server doing their job doesn’t deserve to be abused, period. An attendant at the gym is doing their job, trying to keep their job and income.
We have and continue to support the orders from the public health officer, as we all want a return to normal. We’re not there yet. This does give us an opportunity to gather and reclaim some of that normalcy we’ve lost. It also comes with extra costs.
That’s why my colleagues and I in the Official Opposition have been asking where is the support for these restaurant owners, gym operators and others impacted. Premier Horgan said the province would be there for them but we haven’t seen it yet. Will the circuit breaker program be extended to businesses who are forced to reduce service? Will there be money to help cover the extra cost of staff that is being incurred to implement the new rules? The answer so far has been silence, but we’re going to keep asking these questions.
I continue to encourage everyone to choose to get vaccinated – it will protect you, your family and your loved ones. Some times doing the right thing is tough but it’s still the right thing to do.
Lorne Doerkson is the MLA for the Cariboo Chilcotin.
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