Can we Trust the Premier behind Newfoundland’s Mail-in Election?

Here in Newfoundland and Labrador, we have been going through an election cycle, an election cycle that is lasting longer than desired. Voting was supposed to happen a month ago now (February 12), when COVID-19 cases coincidentally spiked and caused the entire system to turn to mail-in ballots only.

The man behind this botched election is the sitting Premier, Dr. Andrew Furey. An orthopaedic surgeon, with a history of not giving patients the treatment they need. 

Such an instance happened in 2016, just 5 years ago when a personal friend of mine had snapped his Achilles tendon. Upon meeting with the good doctor, Fuery told him he was going by a new method where the injury would heal, on its own without any surgery. The recovery time would be about the same (9-12 months) and he could resume his physical hobbies after such a period. 

As it turns out, this was false. Upon going to Physiotherapy the therapist told him that this was the first they had ever heard of such a treatment being used, especially on somebody so young and so active. Such treatments are usually reserved to people who live more sedentary lifestyles, usually the old (60+ years of age) or the infirm. When he had his next appointment with Dr. Furey, the doctor told him that the recovery time would now be another 12-24 months and to keep doing Physiotherapy, while doing less strenuous activities to ease back into normal, active life. 

Doing what all good patients do, my friend listened to the doctor and followed the plan laid out before him. After the allotted 24-month time frame, he scheduled another check-up with Dr. Furey, only for Furey to pass the buck off to another doctor. This new doctor then told my friend that the surgery should have happened for the simple fact that he is a very active young man who works on his feet to make a living. The only way forward from this point was for this doctor to cut/ snap the tendon again and graft a piece of another tendon from his big toe or thumb into the broken Achilles tendon with only a 50% chance of him being to resume his normal activities afterward. 

Now, my friend is left without the ability to properly run or jump anymore, the Achilles has essentially no muscle mass left to it now and is still in a very weakened condition.

Normally a person, when confronted with something like this could write it off as an honest mistake on behalf of Dr. Furey. However, after my own father who is in his late 50s needed both his knees replaced and also suffers from COPD also had Dr. Furey as his doctor only to be left in limbo for months at a time only for the fine Doctor to also shrug him off onto another surgeon as his political career was far more important than helping those in desperate need. I can only say this is an all too common practice for this Doctor.

If I could ask Dr. Andrew Furey but one question would be “Whatever happened to this supposed Hippocratic Oath all doctors must swear to abide by in medical school?”. I would assume I too would be left in the lurch, waiting for a response as so many others have been. Furthermore, how can we as honest Newfoundlanders put our trust in such people to lead us in the times of COVID-19? A doctor who refuses to give the proper care to his patients, a doctor more concerned with gaining political power than performing his own duties. 

Why else would he call an early election during a pandemic crisis in the midst of a hard winter? The short answer is that we can not put trust in such callous people. People obsessed with only gaining power over the rest while not looking out for the common people of the province. 

The old adage is that “Power corrupts”, but as we can see from the stories above this man was corrupt from the beginning. Power only attracts borderline personalities that do not care for the rest of us, only themselves and their own personal gains. Whatever could be said of the other contenders in this Provincial Election about whether they care or not, we can all say with a straight face that Dr. Furey does not care. Not for you, not for me, only for himself, and I urge any readers to question what has been happening to our home because of such people?

Why is it that the week before an election we suddenly have huge spikes in COVID cases? The cynic in me tells me this is all political theatre to keep Dr. Furey and other corrupt Quack Doctors at the reins so their friends in Ottawa can siphon off more of our freedoms and wealth so they may only enrich themselves.