Chris Selley: Maskless Ontario Liberal rally a reminder our political parties aren’t as different as they want us to think – National Post

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Trading the current government for the one that came before it is less a guarantee of change than it is of more of the same

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Ontario Liberals took to social media on Saturday to celebrate their de facto campaign launch in the ballroom of a downtown Toronto hotel. There were many photos of many smiling Liberals, all eager and determined to help leader Steven Del Duca show Premier Doug Ford the door. Surprisingly, however, very few of the Liberal faces were masked. Some who reacted online were downright outraged. Others, including this correspondent, were just confused.

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Asking those in attendance to mask up would have been such an easy way to highlight a key distinction that the Liberals obviously want voters to perceive: They are the party that Follows the Science, while Fords Progressive Conservatives care only about pleasing their knuckle-dragging science-hating base. The Liberals very much want you to notice all the medical types they have recruited as candidates: geriatrician Nathan Stall, ER physician Adil Shamji and registered nurses Marjan Kasirlou and Tyler Watt. And yet hardly any masks.

To be fair, Ontarios mask mandate expired March 15. And Del Duca was OK with that. I accept the Chief Medical Officer of Healths advice, he said in a statement earlier this month. But not a lot of people seemed to notice. Agreement doesnt make headlines, and it complicates media narratives. What did make headlines was Del Ducas objection to dropping the mask mandate in schools specifically, and you could forgive people for extrapolating that he was pro-mandate in general, because his stance makes no sense otherwise: A fully vaccinated older adult is at far greater risk of serious COVID outcomes than an unvaccinated child.

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Nonsense aside, though, it was at least an explanation: The Liberals dont think masks are necessary in a room full of (presumably) fully vaccinated adults.

But then the apologies started: At least four Liberal candidates said they always or generally wear masks while indoors, and were regretful that they had not on Saturday.

Well. I screwed up. Im masking at indoor gatherings most of the time, other than when eating, speaking or for photos.

I wish I wore my mask more consistently yesterday.

Learning from this.

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The energy was incredible and while many of the guests in attendance were masked, if I'd known ahead how full the room would be I would have ensured I had my mask at all times, and regret that I didn't.

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My fellow Hamiltonians, as you have seen in some of our pictures, I failed to diligently wear my mask at all times during our event.For that, I sincerely apologize, and I assure you I will be more conscientious moving forward. https://t.co/qTlu9r8nFL

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Yesterday, I was excited to meet with my colleagues & fellow candidates. While all who I interacted with were fully vaccinated, I recognize that I made a choice to remove my mask to eat and also to take pictures with my colleagues. This was an error in judgement on my part. 1/3

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It was baffling. How could someone who assiduously wears masks at the supermarket, and thinks its very important others do likewise, possibly forget to do so in one of the most deliberately crowded environments theyre ever likely to encounter? (The more packed the political rally, the better it looks on TV.)

Cynics would say it proves simple hypocrisy: These people dont actually think masks are that important. They just use the issue to signal virtue, to get a leg up on the government. But that doesnt really explain it. What better time to signal virtue than at a campaign event?

The answer, I suspect, lies in the basic nature of Canadian politics. On a day-to-day basis, it is miles removed from real life. Once campaigns begin, real life fades from view almost entirely. Last summer I doubted even Justin Trudeaus Liberals would be reckless enough to call an unnecessary election knowing that a new COVID wave might kick off the day after the writ dropped. The risk of an outbreak, maybe even a fatal one, being traced back to a campaign event and the media furor that would have followed just seemed wildly out of proportion to the modest potential reward.

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Not only did the Liberals pull the trigger. They held a 400-person campaign event in Brampton; invited 87-year-old Jean Chrtien and 100-year-old Hazel McCallion to it; completely failed to enforce social distancing rules Trudeau was mobbed by supporters at the end; and were unapologetic about it the next day. (For the record: When that event took place Ontario was seeing 717 new COVID-19 cases per day, on a seven-day average. The current seven-day average is 2,233, based on 30 per cent fewer tests.)

With some honourable exceptions, what drives successful Canadian politicians more than anything else is an abiding belief that Our Guy is fundamentally better than The Other Guy, and whatever it takes to defeat The Other Guy is worth it. You have to get caught up in the melodrama. Theres no room for malcontents. Wearing a mask would ruin the photo-op.

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Indeed, this little incident beautifully illustrates one of the most unfortunate fallacies that has taken hold among some Canadians over the past two years: the idea that things would have been so much better if only The Other Guy had been in charge. This magical thinking stands resolutely in the way of learning the lessons we need to learn from this pandemic.

We all basically understand the roots of Canadas failures. They are systemic, not partisan: From the inability of various agencies to coordinate a coherent response at the border, to long-neglected long-term care home systems in Ontario and Quebec especially, to health-care systems that run much closer to capacity in good times than in many of our peer jurisdictions. Whos in charge makes a difference at the margins, though not always intuitively: British Columbias NDP government imposed the most lenient restrictions of any province; Ontarios NDP opposed mandatory vaccination for teachers until they were forced to flip-flop. It does not make a huge change to the bottom line: hospitalizations, ICU admissions, deaths.

At the end of the day, this maskless rally doesnt matter. But its a very useful reminder to Ontarians, who will soon be going to the polls. Trading the current government for the one that came before it is less a guarantee of change than it is of more of the same. When candidates ring your doorbell, have some tough questions ready.

Email: cselley@nationalpost.com | Twitter: cselley

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Chris Selley: Maskless Ontario Liberal rally a reminder our political parties aren't as different as they want us to think - National Post