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th ei fp .c a Th e IF P -H al to n H ill s | T hu rs da y, A pr il 22 ,2 02 1 | 6 ABOUT US This newspaper, published every Thursday, is a division of the Metroland Media Group Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. The Metroland family of newspapers is comprised of more than 70 community publications across Ontario. This newspaper is a member of the National NewsMedia Council. Complainants are urged to bring their concerns to the attention of the news- paper and, if not satisfied, write The National NewsMedia Council, Suite 200, 890 Yonge St., Toronto, ON M4W 2H2. Phone: 416-340-1981 Web: www.mediacouncil.ca newsroom@theifp.ca IndependentAndFreePress @IFP_11 WHO WE ARE Publisher Kelly Montague Regional Managing Editor Catherine O'Hara Managing Editor Karen Miceli Distribution Representative Kim Mossman Real Estate Kristie Pells Regional Production Manager Manuel Garcia Halton Media General Manager Jason Pehora CONTACT US The Independent & Free Press 901 Guelph Line Burlington, ON L7R 3N8 Phone: 905-873-0301 Classifieds: 1-800-263-6480 Fax: 905-873-0398 Letters to the editor All letters must be fewer than 320 words and include your name and telephone number for verification purposes. We reserve the right to edit, condense or reject letters. Published letters will appear in print and/or online at theifp.ca Delivery For all delivery inquiries, please e-mail lpolar@miltoncanadianchampion.com or call 905-234-1019. OPINION TO LEARN HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR OWN CONTENT VISIT THEIFP.CA It's been over a year since the COVID-19 pan- demic began. While Cana- dians are starting to re- ceive vaccines, the Liberal government's failure to se- cure sufficient doses means that we've fallen be- hind. Governments else- where secured sufficient doses -- the United States and United Kingdom come to mind. As a result, they are on track to vaccinating every- one in short order, and are about to completely reopen and get on with life. But here, Canadians are being subject to a third wave and third set of lockdowns -- a result of the Liberal gov- ernment's failure to secure sufficient doses. It won't be until the end of September before all Ca- nadians will have access to vaccines. These ongoing restric- tions are creating hard- ships for many -- families trying to juggle work and children, small business owners being forced to close, seniors in isolation, those with mental-health challenges and so many others. It's true Canada did bet- ter than the U.S. and U.K. in containing the outbreak in the early days of the pan- demic. Our case counts and deaths were lower. But the Liberal govern- ment's response was ade- quate, not exemplary. It did not completely eliminate the outbreak as did many other countries such as Australia, New Zealand and Taiwan. Fast forward to today. The U.S. and U.K. have ex- celled in securing vaccines and are quickly leaving the pandemic behind. Again, the Canadian federal gov- ernment's response has been second-rate, without sufficient vaccines to inoc- ulate everyone and get on with life. As of last week, only two per cent of Canadians had been fully vaccinated. We now have more new daily cases of COVID-19, relative to our population, than the United States. Conservatives are call- ing for a public inquiry to examine every aspect of the government's pandem- ic response once the pan- demic is over. We must ensure that les- sons are learned from the government's handling of this pandemic so that we can better respond to fu- ture outbreaks. In a future pandemic, we cannot afford to repeat the failures of this one. Michael Chong is the MP for Wellington-Halton Hills, and the shadow minister of democratic institutions for the official opposition. He can be reached at mi- chael.chong.a3@parl. gc.ca. PUBLIC INQUIRY NEEDED ON GOVERNMENT'S HANDLING OF PANDEMIC QUESTIONS MUST BE ANSWERED ON VACCINE PROCUREMENT, WRITES MICHAEL CHONG A woodpecker stops for a snack at Main Street residence in Georgetown. Do you have a great local photo you'd like to share? Send it to sleblanc@metroland.com, along with a brief description. Charlie Hayward photo SNAPSHOT A Universal Basic In- come (UBI) would provide all Canadians with a cer- tain amount of money ev- ery year regardless of their financial need. This is a concept that warrants our attention. At the Liberal Party conven- tion earlier this month, this idea achieved over- whelming support, with a 77 per cent vote in favour. The focus is to lift those currently below the pover- ty line into an area of better financial security. In my opinion, this would be a useful social safety net for the millions of Canadians that will have their earning power reduced or eliminated be- cause of future technical advancements or new ways that business is con- ducted. Some argue giving a ba- sic income to everyone makes no economic sense because everyone does not need the assistance. For simplicity's sake, I would suggest it is tax-free for all. Taxing those that have medium to high in- come can easily be done by adjusting tax rates on in- come earned above the UBI amount. Those that need to be taxed will be taxed. The pandemic has been the most significant reset of how the Canadian econo- my works during our life- time. There is an opportu- nity to build a better fu- ture. In my opinion the UBI concept will be implement- ed. It makes economic sense. Peter Watson is regis- tered with Aligned Capital Partners Inc. (ACPI) to provide investment advice. Investment products are provided by ACPI. ACPI is a member of the Invest- ment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada. The opinions expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of ACPI. Watson provides wealth management services through Watson Invest- ments. He can be reached at peter@watsoninvest- ments.com. PROPOSED UBI MAKES ECONOMIC SENSE PLAN WOULD BE A USEFUL SAFETY NET, WRITES PETER WATSON PETER WATSON Column MICHAEL CHONG Column