Due to the high rate of COVID-19 cases in neighbouring New Brunswick, the idea of leaving that province on the sidelines when the regional bubble is reestablished has been gaining some traction.
The desire to reignite the regional travel bubble is certainly understandable. Before its suspension in November due to rising cases throughout the region, it was working and stories about how Atlantic Canada had essentially brought COVID to its knees were common, if unfortunately, premature, in media across Canada and beyond. We were the envy of North America. Many people in other parts of the country, who were now working from home and could do their jobs from anywhere, began to look at heading east.
However, I just don't see how a restart of the bubble happens without New Brunswick. It is essentially the center of the Atlantic circle – connected to Nova Scotia by land and P.E.I. by the man-made engineering marvel known as Confederation Bridge. Take anything in your house and if it wasn't made or grown here, chances are it arrived at the store where you purchased it by truck and that truck travelled through New Brunswick. Like it or not, the simple fact is we need our closest neighbour more than they need us.
The idea of a bubble excluding New Brunswick couldn't even be considered until May, when Northumberland Ferries starts up again and, by that time, the COVID picture could look a lot different. However, the geography won't change.
The context is very different, but it reminds me of the Quebec independence debate. Many wondered if there would be a working relationship between Quebec and the rest of Canada if independence happened. Thankfully, that question never had to be answered but there is no question the answer would have been "yes."
The referendums were an attempt to change history. As challenging as that is, it is snap compared to changing geography. An independent Quebec would be located between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Ontario - the same place where the Province of Quebec has been since the country's founding. The two countries would have had no choice but to work something out.
Similarly, whether it is inside or outside the bubble, New Brunswick is still connected to Nova Scotia and P.E.I. and bordering on Quebec and Maine - two COVID-19 hotspots in North America.
There is nothing that can be done about that and we should be working with our sister province to mitigate the collective risk to all of us.
It is not that long ago that Nova Scotia was the COVID hotspot in the region. Last year was certainly one to forget for the Bluenose province as the reality of life under lockdown was compounded by a series of tragedies, most notably the worst mass shooting in the history of the country. Islanders stood in solidarity with their Nova Scotia cousins, offering what support we could. That is the Maritime way. It is one of the best qualities of people in this region in my humble estimation.
P.E.I. has, luckily, been spared the worst impacts of the pandemic, but there is certainly no guarantee that will continue to be the case. I certainly hope not, but it could be us that is the COVID hotspot by May. Would we want our neighbours essentially cutting us loose? If it came to that, let's face it, the geography is not in our favour.
Andy Walker is a P.E.I.-based political commentator. His column appears every week in the Journal Pioneer.
