There seems to be rare mainstream media consensus once again, as in some times past, that government deficits are ok in times of national emergency like COVID-19, but one key part of Canada's vaccine purchase story that receives no media covergage is that to get the vaccine millions of dollars, including their hefty profit margin, will be paid to pharamaceurical giants like Pfizer. In effect we are seing another example of public subsidies to private enterprise like the bailout to big business during the financial collapse of 2008. Here's TorontotheBetter's position: if we want to prepare for the next pandemic and save on expenditures at the same time, hmve the public take an ownership stake in big pharma, already massively subsidized in various ways, or, better, nationalize the sector. Privzte pofit and healthcare investment are opposites. We must hold private enterprise and invention structurally accountable, in the spirit of the great Marie Curie, discoverer of radium, who donated her ideas freely to the public domain.
One thing we haven't seen lately in Toronto is Greyhound buses, For-profit Greyhound early quit Ontario as pandemic set in,
including the route from Toronto to education and tech hub Kitchener/Cambridge/Waterloo where it has been making money from
students for many years. Without the continuing GO Transit service many Ontario workers and students would be without income
and learning. There's a lesson here about the importance of public service imnvestment and it's not the one promoting cutbacks
that neoliberals have been preaching for the last three decades. All citizebs need public service investment to survive.contribute
and thrive.
