Beyond The Commons

 Beyond The Commons

Aaron Wherry covers all the goings-on in and around Parliament Hill. Follow Aaron on Twitter: @aaronwherry

Categories: Beyond The Commons, Capital Read

MPs, they're just like us

by Aaron Wherry on Monday, October 26, 2009 10:29am - 29 Comments

In a Globe and Mail survey, only 49% of Canadians say they’ll get the H1N1 vaccine shot.

In a Hill Times survey, only 21 of 32 MPs say they’ll get the H1N1 vaccine shot.

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  • Jonathan

    49% vs. 66%.

    Interesting. I wonder why MP's are 25% more likely than the general population to get a flu shot.

    • MJ Patchouli

      They're probably 25% more likely to talk the talk for public relations.

      I don't know anyone who is getting a shot – not even my pediatric nurse sister, or her health canada research scientist husband! My nephew has multiple and serious food allergies, so while he might be a good candidate, he can't take it because it has egg in it.

      Until I see a PHOTO OPP! of the prime minister with a syringe plunged into his arm, and also his wife and kids getting shots — I won't consider it safe or pragmatic.

      The feds have done the worst job possible promoting this to the public. It's a problem for them no matter what happens.

      • Lord Kitchener's Own

        You don't "know" me, but I'll likely get it, if only because I already know 3 people with H1N1, which is 3 more people than I knew who got SARS, and I was in Toronto during SARS. In fact, I don't even know 3 people who know someone who got SARS (I don't know anyone who knew someone who got SARS) but I know 3 people who've contracted H1N1 (all women, and all under 65 for what it's worth).

        • http://intensedebate.com/people/M_A_N M_A_N

          Hey, I'm immune-supressed, and I'm getting the shot.

          I just hope the microchip and brain control serum don't hurt too much.

          • Sigh

            You won't feel a thing.

        • MJ Patchouli

          The entire family next door — that's a woman in her early-forties, and two young children around 10, had it last spring. They weren't very sick — not that I think it's always mild — and they were "quarantined" at home for two weeks, and that was that.

          I've never had a flu shot. I don't want to get H1N1, but I also don't like taking things that I don't feel have been tested enough. I continue to believe I am too young for the flu shots — neither my husband or I have ever had them; we're in our forties.

          And I don't think there's a microchip or brain control serum — I just don't take ANYTHING unless something is falling off of me.

          Andb esides, wwhy should I have faith in the health minister's abilities if her own colleague Raitt doesn't?

          • http://intensedebate.com/people/M_A_N M_A_N

            You're too young for the regular flu shot., as seasonal flu rarely hits someone your age and, when it does, it's usually more of an inconvenience
            For H1N1, you ARE the most vulnerable, and you have a high risk of ending up in hospital, on a ventilator. I wish I was just being paranoid.

            As to testing, there's scads of testing already available from europe, where all reports show this vaccine to be safe. The reason it's not gone through the standard testing regime here yet is simple: If we waited for that testing, we'd have the vaccine ready to go sometime in March. Health Canada made an exception because this is a new influenza virus.

            As to Raitt? I dare not speculate why she doesn't want the vaccine. It's her personal choice, as it is yours. I just hate to see people say it's "unsafe' with no actual proof of that statement.

        • MJ Patchouli

          How sick were the people you know who got it? Scary sick, or okay sick (please stick to these scientific terms in your response).

          • Lord Kitchener's Own

            I don't know about "scary" sick… no one I know has actually been hospitalized… but they were all definitely "way sicker than I'd like to be".

            I think I'd call it "I'd rather be at work" sick.

    • http://intensedebate.com/people/Gaunilon Gaunilon

      Maybe they're just more likely to lie about it so they won't get criticized for not taking the vaccine.

  • Style

    2 divided by three is two-thirds, or 67%. What is the equivalence you're suggesting?

  • http://intensedebate.com/people/robert_mccl6309 Robert McClelland

    So what, we're long overdue for the herd to be thinned a little.

    • http://intensedebate.com/people/doug_rogers doug_rogers

      Darwinian selection in action.

  • http://intensedebate.com/people/jolyon jolyon

    "MPs, they’re just like us"

    They think the government is out to kill them or give their kids autism? That's not good. I don't expect every frakin' Canadian to believe the Illuminati are controlling us all.

    • http://intensedebate.com/people/M_A_N M_A_N

      I know. If I'm part of the conspiracy, then why am i still living in Scarborough?

      • Sigh

        Deep cover.

  • Amateur Hour

    If you have a severe chicken egg allergy or are on steroid inhalers, you have reason not to get vaccinated against H1N1.
    If you were alive in the 1950s, you can wait until others have been vaccinated as there seems to be some latent immunity from a past swine flu strain in older people.
    For those lacking these conditions, the H1N1 flu vaccine is a good idea for themselves and a great idea for their families and communities.
    It is not a live virus vaccine, so it can't give you the flu.
    Yes, more than 85 people have died of H1N1 in Canada already (that's much worse than the Walkerton or Maple Leaf infections, BTW).
    No, vaccines such as this one do not cause autism in children or Gulf War Syndrome-like disorders. These are myths.
    Vaccines that do not have live viruses have been used safely for decades on tens of millions of people.
    Unvaccinated people have, on the other hand, been made ill, suffered organ damage and died from preventable diseases.

  • http://intensedebate.com/people/Lord_Bob Lord Bob

    What about those of us who don't get vaccinated because we could really use a couple weeks off work?

    • http://intensedebate.com/people/M_A_N M_A_N

      It will be a very lousy vacation. This ain't a "few days on the couch" flu. This is a "not enough energy to change the channel" flu.

      • http://intensedebate.com/people/madeyoulook madeyoulook

        With a very real chance of "share this run-over-by-a-truck feeling with my loved ones" flu.

        With an outside chance of "not enough energy to suck in any more air" flu.

  • http://intensedebate.com/people/Gaunilon Gaunilon

    One possibility is that MPs are more likely to lie about it so they won't get criticized for not taking the vaccine.

    • John.K

      Perhaps the 11 MPs who say they're not getting it are lying too?

  • Jonathan

    Actually, I just went back and read the articles, and there isn't really a similarity.

    Percentage of Canadians who will get it: 49%
    Percentage of Canadians who won't: 51%

    Percentage of MP's who will get it:65%
    Percentage of MP's who won't: 13%
    Percentage of MP's undecided: 25%

  • http://intensedebate.com/people/YYZ YYZ

    Perhaps MPs are statistically smarter than the Canadian population.

    I know this SEEMS unlikely, but it is probably true.

  • http://intensedebate.com/people/YYZ YYZ

    Not getting the shot is STUPID.

    THERE. I said it.

    • http://intensedebate.com/people/M_A_N M_A_N

      Well done, brave sir. Prepare for the flood of "thumbs down" votes to follow.

    • http://intensedebate.com/people/madeyoulook madeyoulook

      YYZ, have fun going through the comments in the "Swine flu fiasco" post.

  • Amateur Hour

    Yes, sir. You are correct.

  • PolJunkie

    I’m trying to understand how anyone would agree to inject themselves with a vaccine that was conceived and put on the market within a period of 3 months. Scientists are so unsure of the potential side effects that all they can tell us is that they are “likely” less severe than the effects of the H1N1.

    I mean, c’mon!

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