Page - 17 - in VULNERABLE - The Law, Policy and Ethics of COVID-19

17Introduction questions. On May 4, the G-20 countries, except the U.S. and Russia, joined major philanthropists to raise nearly €8 billion (approximately C$12.3 billion) for research and development of diagnostics, thera- pies, and vaccines, promising these would all be public goods, and fairly distributed.66 Meanwhile, private sector companies, most based in the U.S., are also racing to develop vaccines, which will not be pub- lic goods.67 It will soon become clear whether global cooperation and solidarity are rhetoric or reality. This Job Is Gonna Kill Me: Working and COVID-19 The health and safety of workers is a critical theme of the COVID-19 pandemic. In Canada and around the world, the implementation of lockdowns required the designation of “essential workers.” The list varies by jurisdiction but generally includes health care, food ser- vices, transportation, utilities, communication, and some government employees.68 These workers have been spared some of the economic hardships of their neighbours who have lost jobs. However, they and their families have taken on significant risks to their own physical and mental health.69 In the health sector, early public discourse focused on prepar- ing hospitals, ensuring an adequate supply of test kits, ventilators, and PPE. It quickly became clear that the most vulnerable commodity could be the workers themselves.70 This has been evident in Canada since the 2006 SARS Commission Report, led by the Honourable Justice Archie Campbell, which determined that “the health system 66. Giuseppe Conte et al, “As EU Leaders, We Want to Unite the World Against Coronavirus and End the Global Crisis”, The Independent (2 May 2020), online: <https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/coronavirus-eu-response-leaders-fight- covid-19-vaccine-a9495716.html>. 67. Tom McCarthy, “The Race for a Vaccine: How Trump’s ‘America First’ Approach Hinders the Global Search”, The  Guardian (12 May 2020), online: <https://www. theguardian.com/world/2020/may/12/the-race-for-a-vaccine-how-trumps-amer- ica-first-approach-slows-the-global-search>. 68. Public Safety Canada, “Guidance on Essential Services and Functions in Canada During the COVID-19 Pandemic” (2 April 2020), online: Government  of  Canada <https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/ntnl-scrt/crtcl-nfrstrctr/esf-sfe-en.aspx>. 69. See Pat Armstrong, Hugh Armstrong & Ivy Bourgeault, this volume, Chapter E-1; Lippel, this volume, Chapter E-3. 70. Jane Philpott, “‘Public Officials Should be Obsessed with Protecting the Health Workers Who Will Keep People Alive’”, Maclean’s (31 March 2020), online: <https://www.macleans.ca/opinion/public-officials-should-be-obsessed-with- protecting-the-health-workers-who-will-keep-people-alive/>.