COVID-19 is one of the most devastating pandemics in global history due to its significance and severe consequences on almost all aspects of human life. For instance, states and countries lost lives and experienced a sharp decline in their economies (Schieman et al., 2023). Canada is among the nations that endured the harsh consequences of the disease. The pandemic has profoundly affected lives and the environment, requiring responses from federal, provincial, and local governments, as well as citizens in Canada.
Impact on Lives
Like in other nations, the pandemic substantially shaped multiple aspects of human life including health, economy, social interactions, and the environment in Canada. Initially, COVID-19 led to a surge in cases across the nation, straining healthcare systems and resources (Eeden, 2021). Since the condition was contagious so many people were infected at a go. As a result, hospitals faced challenges in providing adequate care to all patients, leading to longer wait times and overwhelmed healthcare workers. Most of the individuals admitted in the healthcare institutions exhibited severe symptoms. Unfortunately, some hospitals were not well-equipped and prepared to deal with such a condition. The pandemic resulted in a significant number of deaths in Canada (French et al., 2021). The overwhelmed healthcare providers and limited resources were unable to contain the situation.
Besides, COVID 19 had dire implications on the economies. The pandemic led to widespread layoffs, leaving millions of Canadians unemployed (Schieman et al., 2023). It attributed to the sudden and intense global economic downturn as a result of restrictions on movement and disruptions to supply chains. There was widespread business closures, school shutdowns, and a shift to remote work. Unlike previous recessions triggered by financial crises or global market shocks, the economic impact of the pandemic was immediate and unprecedented in its scale in Canada (Lemieux et al., 2020). It was challenging for the institutions to continue functioning normally due to a sharp decline in business activities. The country’s GDP fell by 5.4% and the rate of unemployment doubled to 14% from 2019 to 2020 (Statistics Canada, 2021). The situation attributed to increased healthcare costs, disruption in global trade, and changes in consumer behaviour.
Moreover, the pandemic evoked unwanted social outcomes. Its severity encouraged Canada to impose lockdowns and other restrictions. Lockdowns led to increased feelings of isolation among citizens. Melo and Soares (2020) argue that social isolation increased fear, heightened anxiety symptoms and loneliness that were further exacerbated by economic burden. Therefore, the quality of life of the Canadians was in jeopardy. At the same time, the pandemic brought changes such as the increased demand for remote working (Al-Habaibeh et al., 2021). During the early stages of the pandemic, a lot of employees grappled with learning to use online tools and balancing work and life. While the Canadians learned the skills and knowledge crucial to work remotely, it was challenging to cope up with the transition.
Impact on the Environment
The consequences of COVID-19 also touched the environment. Unlike in other contexts, the pandemic generated several positive outcomes in this context in Canada. The country took unprecedented changes that drastically reduced human activity. Due to the reduced human activity during the lockdown era, scholars were offered a lucrative opportunity to delve into the impact of human activities on the planet. Based on the studies, the lockdown measures had a significant impact on air quality in Canada’s four largest cities: Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, and Calgary (Mashayekhi et al., 2021). The researchers proved that lockdown measures led to significant reductions in NO2 and PM2.5 emissions, optimizing the air quality.
Government Responses
Despite the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic on the social, economic, and political well-being, Canada was determined to combat it and improve the quality of life to its citizens. The nation intervened at the federal, provincial, and local levels through various mechanisms. The federal government invested money into healthcare, which aided in acquiring personal protective equipment (PPE), ventilators, and other necessary medical supplies. For instance, Canada saw the need of safeguarding the health and well-being of its healthcare providers who were at the frontline of fighting the disease by providing adequate PPE. Besides, the federal government spearheaded the distribution of vaccines nationwide and introduced financial aid packages such as the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (Hansson et al., 2024). Such schemes offered income support to persons who lost their jobs or unable to work due to the pandemic.
The provincial governments were crucial in implementing measures such as mask mandates, capacity restrictions on businesses and gatherings, and limits on non-essential travel across provincial borders. Mo et al. (2020) asserts that all provinces mandated the closure of businesses and schools. They also provided financial aid. For instance, Vankar (2023) implies that 11.5 billion was offered in 2022. On the other hand, the local governments enforced rules and guidelines tailored to curb the spread of the disease in local areas. At the same time, they ensured small businesses and public spaces are fully compliant with the stipulated health guidelines.
Roles of Citizens
The Canadian citizens were also instrumental in fostering the feasibility of the responses taken by the government at the federal, provincial, and local levels to combat the COVID-19 pandemic in several ways. One of the typical way was adhering to health guidelines recommended by experts including, wearing masks, social distancing, and visiting relevant institutions to get vaccinated (Al-Habaibeh et al., 2021). Besides, they tried to revive the country’s economy by supporting local businesses. By shopping locally and engaging in community initiatives, the Canadians were focused on improving their economy. Furthermore, some citizens served as environmental stewards. They demonstrated a high sense of environmental responsibility through initiatives like minimizing waste, conserving resources, and supporting sustainability efforts at local and national levels.
Conclusion
The COVID 19 substantially influenced lives and the environment, requiring responses from federal, provincial, and local governments, as well as citizens in Canada. The health and well-being of the Canadians was threatened by inefficiencies in the healthcare and economic contexts and limited social interactions. However, the government responded positively by implementing robust mechanism at the federal, provincial, and local levels to combat the pandemic. The citizens also facilitated the process by complying with the stipulated health guidelines and embracing sustainable practices. The implications of the pandemic necessitates Canada and other nations to be fully-prepared to minimize the consequences.
References
Al-Habaibeh, A., Watkins, M., Waried, K., & Javareshk, M. B. (2021). Challenges and opportunities of remotely working from home during Covid-19 pandemic. Global Transitions, 3, 99-108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.glt.2021.11.001
Eeden, S. (2021). Letter from Canada: A pandemic that has humbled us. Respirology (Carlton, Vic.), 26, 513 – 514. https://doi.org/10.1111/resp.14027
French, G., Hulse, M., Nguyen, D., Sobotka, K., Webster, K., Corman, J., Aboagye-Nyame, B., Dion, M., Johnson, M., Zalinger, B., & Ewing, M. (2021). Impact of hospital strain on excess deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic — United States, July 2020–July 2021. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 70, 1613 – 1616. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7046a5
Hansson, J., MacEachen, E., Landstad, B. J., Vinberg, S., & Tjulin, Å. (2024). A comparative study of governmental financial support and resilience of self-employed people in Sweden and Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic. International Journal of Circumpolar Health, 83(1), 2298015.https://doi.org/10.1080/22423982.2023.2298015
Lemieux, T., Milligan, K., Schirle, T., & Skuterud, M. (2020). Initial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Canadian labor market. Canadian Public Policy, 46(S1), S55-S65.https://doi.org/10.3138/cpp.2020-049
Mashayekhi, R., Pavlovic, R., Racine, J., Moran, M. D., Manseau, P. M., Duhamel, A. & McLinden, C. A. (2021). Isolating the impact of COVID-19 lockdown measures on urban air quality in Canada. Air Quality, Atmosphere & Health, 14(10), 1549-1570. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11869-021-01039-1
Melo, M., & Soares, D. (2020). Impact of social distancing on mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: An urgent discussion. The International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 66, 625 – 626. https://doi.org/10.1177/0020764020927047
Mo, G., Cukier, W., Atputharajah, A., Boase, M. I., & Hon, H. (2020). Differential impacts during COVID-19 in Canada: A look at diverse individuals and their businesses. Canadian Public Policy, 46(S3), S261-S271.
Schieman, S., Mai, Q., Badawy, P., & Kang, R. W. (2023). A forced vacation? The stress of being temporarily laid off during a pandemic. Work and Occupations, 50(2), 255-283.
Statistics Canada. (2021). Gross domestic product, income and expenditure, fourth quarter 2020. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/210302/dq210302a-eng.htm
Vankar, P. (2023). Total funding for COVID-19 by the federal and provincial government in Canada from 2020 to 2022. Statista.https://www.statista.com/statistics/1387168/funding-for-covid-19-by-government-in-canada/
write