The COVID-19 virus was responsible for the deaths of over thirty-five thousand Canadians in its first two years alone. Described as the biggest public health crisis of the century, it was an uncertain threat, which emerged within complex psychological, social, legal, administrative, and economic contexts.
Seized by Uncertainty explains how Canadian governments responded to that threat. Despite early warning signs, governments failed to appreciate the trade-offs required to respond to the pandemic. Their approach, at times intolerant of debate and ignorant of diversity, served the interests of some over others. Their response prioritized stability and containment, enabling four in ten people to work from home, disproportionately benefiting an educated middle class who profited further from soaring stock markets and housing prices. Mental health issues spiked, racialized people were much more likely to test positive for the virus, those in low-income sectors experienced unstable employment and lacked workplace safety protections, the lives of low-risk youth were in constant suspension, and residents of some care homes were virtually abandoned.
Seized by Uncertainty studies the pandemic response through the contexts in which it emerged, exposing uncomfortable truths about a fragmented society and governance problems that predated the threat.
Authors
- Published in
- Montreal, CA
Table of Contents
- Cover 1
- SEIZED BY UNCERTAINTY 2
- Title 4
- Copyright 5
- Dedication 6
- Contents 8
- Tables and Figures 10
- Acknowledgments 14
- Abbreviations 18
- Introduction 22
- PART ONE – OVERVIEW OF COVID-19 AND SITUATING IT IN THE RISK LITERATURE 40
- 1 How It Started and Key COVID-19–Related Health Outcomes 42
- 2 Situating COVID-19 in the Risk Literature: Four Rationales for Risk 69
- PART TWO – REGIME CONTENT: THE GOVERNMENT’S CONTROL MECHANISMS 96
- 3 Information Gathering: Testing, Contact Tracing, and Modelling 98
- 4 Standard Setting: Health and Emergency Response, Economic Support, and Governance 120
- 5 Behaviour Modification 1: The Public’s Choices and the Cascading Impacts of Government Directives 145
- 6 Behaviour Modification 2: The COVID-19 Vaccine 164
- PART THREE – CASE STUDIES: LONG-TERM CARE AND TOURISM 186
- 7 Caring for the Vulnerable: Long-Term Care, Short-Term Thinking 188
- 8 Tourism: The Higher It Rises, the Harder It Falls 212
- PART FOUR – REGIME CONTEXT: PRESSURES AND EXPLANATIONS 236
- 9 Market Failure Hypothesis: Market Performance, Information Costs, and Opt-Out Costs 238
- 10 Opinion-Responsive Hypothesis: Media and Public Opinion Polls 264
- 11 Interest Group Hypothesis: Bureau-Shapers and Organized Interests 294
- PART FIVE – LIVING WITH IT 320
- Conclusion 322
- Appendix 1: Methods 342
- Appendix 2: Years of Life Lost to COVID-19 Compared to World Wars 347
- Appendix 3: Years of Life Lost to COVID-19 Compared to Road Fatalities 348
- Appendix 4: Consumer Purchases at Retail (× 1,000) by Category (2019–21) 350
- Notes 354
- References 360
- Index 502
