Some elected folks think it’s okay preaching obedience to public health orders, then taking off for the beach without so much as a jaunty “aloha” to the rest of us. Citizens are angry at Alberta’s Tracy Allard and her “tradition,” (undoubtedly dating back to the time of the druids), of a holiday trip to Hawaii. She was one of six Alberta Conservative MLAs who took trips to the sun (gotta wonder if they got a group tour rate). These clowns are from a government last to bring in any COVID action in Canada, instead blathering about “personal responsibility,” a policy apparently only meant for us, not them!
Then there’s former Ontario Finance Minister Rod Philips topping his hypocrisy sundae with bullshit sauce in a video pretending to be home. Still, my favourite is Don Plett, Conservative Senate leader, and charter member of parliament’s Trump Fan Club. His “adios suckers” routine came only after signing a declaration restricting MPs’ travel. Pundits express “shock” at elitism and, um, “private privilege.” How, they ask, can these people travel while admonishing peons to stay put?
Hi Everybody! Welcome to the wonderful world of privilege. “Privilege” joins two Latin words meaning “private law.” The privileged have money and perks to avoid trivial everyday hassles the rest of us face, like, y’know, food, rent, transport, medicine, etc. No shock required. The 1% and their loyal flunkies got addicted to their pre-pandemic world of privilege. Private law was more tolerated, not so noticeable and far less infectious.
Other officials who traveled are different. Niki Ashton (NDP) and two Liberal MPs traveled for family illness or death, not a holiday … but still …
Socialists are clear: Elected representatives calling for sacrifices must share those sacrifices in an exemplary way. This is an important legacy of the early egalitarian days of the Russian Revolution. We’re not really “all in this together,” if people making decisions can avoid the negative consequences of their policies! Socialists like Seattle city councillor Kshama Sawant live like their constituents, even refusing pay higher than a skilled worker, and donating the rest. Canadian politicians might follow this example, postponing some good things in their lives until we can all share.
But Wait! There’s More!
While we’re on the subject of privilege, news has broken that the government flunkies in the employ of the 1% aren’t the only ones who seem to feel they have special rights. Rodney Baker, then CEO of The Great Canadian Gaming Corporation and his wife Ekaterina flew to Whitehorse in the Yukon and then chartered a flight to Beaver Creek, a remote First Nations community. The two of them proceeded to pose as employees of a local motel to get a COVID-19 vaccination. They were caught after a display of the kind of arrogant underestimation of the intelligence of ordinary people that is a common side-effect of privilege addiction. They asked for a ride to the airport rather than the motel.
As word got out people were outraged and rightly so! Jumping the queue in a historically disadvantaged community is a particularly vile touch. Never let it be said that Canada condones this sort of behaviour! Rodney and Ekaterina are both on the hook for fines of up to $2,300 apiece!!
Before starting a go-fund-me project for them, we should consider the fact that Rod’s salary at Great Canadian Gaming was $10.6 million, plus $45.9 million in profits on stock options, and a forthcoming $28 million payday as his share of the sale of the company. But wait, in addition to the fine, they could face months in prison! Betting that jail time is anywhere in their future is something only the suckers in Rod’s casinos would do.
Still, Rod resigned his lucrative position … not really sure why. He wasn’t in any danger of bringing Great Canadian Gaming into disrepute. Aside from sucking as much money as possible from its customers, the company appears to have run a nice little sideline in money laundering. It’s pleasant to think that are some things too low for even the casino business to tolerate … like getting caught.
Up until a week or two ago Rod could have soothed his tormented soul at Granny’s, the party penthouse nightclub and show lounge purchased for $3 million cash back in November by Mohammad Movassaghi, a former wealth advisor, booted for forging a client’s signature. I’d guess that the business plan included the fact that penthouse equals privilege and that there was little chance the cops would respond. Whoops! Turns out that your neighbours in other penthouses carry a bit more weight than little people.
We should be wary of getting too upset about these antics of the privileged. We need to save some outrage and disgust for all the crap that is undoubtedly still to come from these people. Ending capitalist privilege won’t happen until capitalism itself is replaced with a socialist society where equality replaces profit and privilege.
