The fight against COVID-19 isn’t a war, and shouldn’t be described that way

Wars, by their very nature, stimulate economic activity and with the COVID-19 crisis we have the exact opposite course of action, in that we have strictly enforced idleness for all but essential workers.

Finance Minister Bill Morneau is pictured in the West Block for a March 18 press conference about the government’s COVID-19 response. Even with the current government drip-feed of financial aid to suspended businesses, it is not clear how many small enterprises will survive to be able to reopen their doors once this storm abates, writes Scott Taylor. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Opinion

BY SCOTT TAYLOR

April 8, 2020

OTTAWA—Whenever there is a crisis involving death and destruction, one of the first reactions of the media is to describe it as being akin to “a war zone.” A tornado rips through an urban centre and we are told that the wreckage looks “like a war zone.” A train derails and bursts into flam...

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