The last thing they want is for the people to know why they made the decision. Because it probably wasn’t “science-based” at all.

The government of Canada has been taken to court over its imposition of mandatory hotel quarantine on some travelers to Canada. Those arriving by air have to pay for a three-day hotel stay. Those arriving by land do not. You are also exempt if you are a hockey player.

Air travelers (including myself) feel they have been unfairly targeted, that it would in fact be safer to be allowed to quarantine at home (or elsewhere as arranged). The government disagrees.

The courtoom is where this sort of thing is supposed to be thrashed out, and a judge will ruule on whether the government is justified in its actions. But there’s a catch.

Lawyers for the government are refusing to reveal the reasoning behind the policy. That information is protected by Cabinet confidentiality, they say, and cannot be disclosed. But just trust them, the government knew what it was doing and was completely justified in violating Canadians’ constitutional rights.

Kind of convenient when you don’t want to admit that you are clueless, and that you instituted the poilicy in a fit of pique because not all Canadians followed your advice not to travel. Hopefully the judge will see through them.

Reminds me of 1968, when Richard Nixon was re-elected as president of the United States because he had a secret plan to end the Vietnam War. He didn’t. The war was still raging when he resigned in disgrace six years later.

Please note that time. Six years.

Nixon was re-elected in 1972, the biggest presidential win in American history, despite not having followed through on his promise to end the war. Fooling the voters wasn’t that hard I guess.

I doubt Justin Trudeau is knows much, if anything, about the Nixon presidency – but you can be assured someone in his political party has noted that keeping secrets from the public can have short-term electoral benefit. I suspect though that the larger lesson, that Nixon had to resign in disgrace and be pardoned by his successor, has escaped them.

Trudeau’s Liberals are still hoping for an election win in 2021. With the climate of fear their policies have created, and the message that Big Brother (also known as the Liberal Party) knows best, they may just pull it off.

Or maybe the Candian public will take a hard look at their pandemic mismanagement, wake up from the collective nightmare and send them packing.

Which do you think it will be?