All Lives Matter or No Lives Matter

April 7, 2020

RCMP Veterans’ Association

Members Helping Members

This information is being provided to all Association Members

All Lives Matter or No Lives Matter

Dear Association Members,

Our Past President, Al Rivard has written an op-ed (opposite the editorial page) in which he expresses his concerns about how our governments are deciding, in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, who will be saved and who will die. Given the median age of our membership at 73.1, and the vulnerability of this age bracket to the virus, this is of particular concern to us.

Al’s opinions are his alone and are not necessarily those of the Association management.

The article follows.

James Forrest
Director of Communications
RCMP Veterans’ Association

All Lives Matter or No Lives Matter

I’ve been reading and watching the Federal and Provincial responses to the present pandemic crisis.

Several Premiers have named a task force to efficiently handle the Covid -19 crisis.

I’m quite alarmed to see how these teams discussed the dilemma of having to choose who to save and spoke about it in a rather cavalier way.

I think that most senior citizens realize the reality of this way of thinking but do we really want to hear it?

All it does is alarm an already fragile group of the population.

It reminds me of Jack Nicholson in A Few Good Men when he says, “ you can’t handle the truth”.

It’s enough for the seniors to handle self-isolation, worrying about how to get groceries, ongoing health issues, etc.

The Covid-19 team should follow the example of our Prime Minister Trudeau who bounces down the steps of his home every morning and tries to calm the nation and takes care of business behind closed doors.

Let’s keep ageism out of the equation.

All lives matter!

For those of us who served as first responders, we find this concept abhorrent.

As senior citizens who contributed is that the thanks we get?