Page - 206 - in VULNERABLE - The Law, Policy and Ethics of COVID-19

VULNERABLE206 premiers’ polling numbers have improved since the beginning of the crisis.7 International polling is showing increases in support for incumbents in many countries, except in the United States and Brazil.8 In Canada, health care is a responsibility divided between the federal and provincial governments. Even municipalities have medi- cal officers of health. In contrast to the U.S., it was striking to see how the two senior levels of government cooperated and avoided useless political point-scoring. The federation worked well. Journalists who are accustomed to covering federal–provincial conflicts had few seri- ous tensions to report. There were grumblings about access to equip- ment and some confusion about which government was responsible for what but compared with the frequent federal–provincial blame game, these were modest indeed. The oft-used slogan “We are all in this together” underscored the lack of appetite for partisan debate. The media that inherently defines news as conflict therefore could not display its preference for partisan skirmishing. Elements of the media did contribute through editorial skepti- cism to the federal government changing course on several proposed policies. Commentators complained the first iteration of the govern- ment’s wage subsidy was too low. It was subsequently raised. The government, criticized in Parliament and by the media, abandoned the notion that it could authorize all spending without parliamen- tary approval. Media voices raised questions about the efficacy of certain government remedial programs, but on the issue of public health media largely supported the policies of the medical officers of health and the politicians who followed their advice. Was the media too supine about public health decisions and proclamations? In a few cases, perhaps; overall, no. 7. “Federal Politics: Justin Trudeau’s Handling of COVID-19 Crisis Lifts His Approval to Highest Level Since 2017” (22 April 2020), online: Angus  Reid  Institute <angusreid.org/federal-issues-april-2020>; Philippe J Fournier, “388Canada: Canadians Are Overwhelmingly Satisfied with Their Governments’ COVID- 19 Responses”, Maclean’s (13 April 2020), online: <www.macleans.ca/news/ canada/338canada-canadians-are-overwhelmingly-satisfied-with-their-gov- ernments-covid-19-responses>; Robert Benzie, “Political Leaders Have Seen Approval Ratings Surge During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Poll Finds”, Toronto Star (6 May 2020), online: <www.thestar.com/politics/provincial/2020/05/06/ political-leaders-have-seen-approval-ratings-surge-during-the-covid-19-pan- demic-poll-finds.html>. 8. “Covid-19 Has Given Most World Leaders a Temporary Rise in Popularity”, The Economist (9 May 2020), online: <www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2020/05/09/ covid-19-has-given-most-world-leaders-a-temporary-rise-in-popularity>.