LILLEY: If House of Commons doesn’t need masks, airplanes don’t either

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In your typical flight from Toronto to Calgary, there can be about 175 passengers if the flight is offered out, plus the flight crew. Every of these passengers can be required to be masked for all the flight for what continues to be described as maintaining individuals protected.

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But on Thursday, within the Home of Commons, a lot of the 338 MPs elected throughout Canada have been within the Home with out masks on. In contrast to earlier periods in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, I didn’t spot a single masks whereas watching the published, no matter which celebration was featured on digital camera.

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Shortly after Query Interval ended, the MPs assembled within the Home welcomed not less than a dozen gamers from Canada’s 1972 Summit Collection. The gamers walked across the chamber greeting MPs from each celebration, shaking arms, stopping to talk — and once more there was not a masks to be seen.

Did I point out that these gamers are aged, among the many most in danger from COVID-19? Former NHL star and Liberal Senator Frank Mahovlich was within the group and he’s 84 years outdated. The person referred to as out greater than others for scoring the sport successful objectives in video games 6, 7 and eight was Paul Henderson, who’s 79.

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I don’t imply to be imply or rude, but when the Home of Commons can herald a bunch of seniors, in actual fact, senior seniors, and nobody is sporting a masks, then why do we want them on planes?

For people who haven’t been following the stats, these over the age of 60 – vaccinated or not – are essentially the most in danger from COVID-19. For instance, of the 1.4 million documented cases of COVID in Ontario because the starting of the pandemic, simply 19% of all COVID instances have been in these over 60 whereas that very same age group has been answerable for 68% of all hospitalizations and 92% of all deaths.

When you haven’t been to Parliament earlier than, variety of MPs are over the age of 60. All of this leads me to ask, if we are able to have Parliament meet in individual, with out masks, and a bunch of aged hockey gamers can cease by, all with out masks on, why do we want masks on airplanes in Canada?

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Most counties on the planet have dropped these measurements already and Canada ought to as nicely.

What I’m instructed, and reported on final Sunday, is that with the federal government able to drop vaccination necessities, random obligatory testing and the ArriveCan app, masking was nonetheless up within the air. Whereas most cupboard ministers concerned within the problem have been onside with dropping all remaining restrictions/requirement, Well being Minister Jean-Yves Duclos was not in favour.

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The ultimate choice went to Trudeau, who was going through stress from throughout the maskless Liberal caucus – particularly these with main airports in or close to their ridings – to drop the whole lot. But Trudeau doesn’t need to embarrass Duclos by overruling his minister on all counts.

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Provinces dropped COVID restrictions months in the past and none are displaying indicators of bringing any again. The Trudeau Liberals have been holdouts on COVID measures each right here in Canada and on the worldwide scene.

“The pandemic is over,” U.S. President Joe Biden instructed 60 Minutes final week whereas admitting that COVID continues to be with us.

Proper now, American airways leaving Canadian airports typically permit passengers to take off their masks as quickly because the doorways shut for take-off. Canadian airways heading to American or different overseas locations are required to implement the masking rule till passengers go away the airplane, a state of affairs the airways name unworkable and unenforceable.

Let’s hope that when the remainder of the journey guidelines surrounding ArriveCan, obligatory vaccination and random testing expire subsequent week that the masking requirement is lifted or turns into non-obligatory on the similar time.

It’s the correct and logical factor to do.

blilley@postmedia.com