Ian Gartshore

The New Democratic Party has made a vital contribution to both Canada and British Columbia. Once considered to be the "social conscience" of politics, pushing for more progressive policies that benefit workers and the general population. Our national health care system and other notable services came into existence largely through its initiative. As more of us became aware that we utterly rely on a healthy planetary home, the NDP began to include this in its messaging. Eventually the NDP became a coalition of sorts, bringing together its labour wing with its environmental wing. While its labour wing has always been more important for financial and other reasons, many earth-friendly people supported or voted for the NDP, claiming that voting Green was "splitting the vote." As it turns out this is about as true as believing the earth is flat. But it is a belief that has been propagated by the mainstream parties, especially the sometimes acrimonious members of the NDP.

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and, (for most) the sense that life is weird, many are anxiously wondering whether they or their loved ones will catch this virus. Governments are bleeding red ink (about a generation’s worth!). Many are out of work, especially smaller businesses are failing, the economy is in deep trouble, and nobody knows when, or even whether, we will ever return to “normal.” We can passively wait around and hope that a vaccine will save the day (maybe, but it might take more than a year, and, as do all pharmaceuticals, i t will have side-effects ). Or we can empower ourselves by building up our body’s natural immune system.  This novel coronavirus has not been the first, nor the last, that will spread through the population. Can we afford to shut down whole societies in an effort to defeat them, or will we instead arm ourselves and thus enjoy healthier, longer, lives -viruses or not? As it turns out worrying or stressing is hard on our immune sy