Conservatives Joke About Canadians Dying Of Lysteria

Conservative Cabinet Minister Gerry Ritz joked about Canadians dying of Lysteria. In a meeting with ministry officials his main concern was about how it would impact the government - rather than the safety of Canadians - he asked if there were any more "bombshells" - to kick off the meeting.

Of the 17 Canadians who died of Lysteriosis (the highest number of any nation in the world this year - that's shocking considering the food conditions in some parts of the world) Ritz joked that it was "death by a thousand cuts, or should I say cold cuts". When he heard of the next death he joked that he hoped it was (Liberal food safety critic) Wayne Easter.

This information is especially troubling considering the "privatize everything party" has been busy taking apart our food inspection system since early 2007. Conservative efforts to cut back on inspections AND more seriously (and idiotically) letting the industry inspect itself are to blame for the outbreak - and more significantly, the deaths.

Letting the industry inspect itself? What the f? What kind of idiot lets an industry regulate itself when money is at stake vs. public health? Talk about letting the fox guard the henhouse. We should just let people at borders inspect themselves when they come in (more people die from food-borne illness in Canada every year than have ever died from a terrorist incident). We should let prisoners in penitentiaries guard themselves. They have no interest in making things easier for themselves do they?

The lysteria outbreak is much worse than the Walkerton eColi debacle. Guess who was in charge of Ontario's healthcare system at that time? You guessed it: Clement, Flaherty, and this same bunch of "privatization-happy" Conservatives.

When you elect a government whose only goal is to make itself obsolete ("less government", more privatization - even essential services), this is the end result. It can only get worse with more Conservative MPs, or - heaven forbid - a majority of Cons. The reason these guys exist is to privatize and basically reduce government's role to the "policeman" for the land.

Time to wake up Canada.