Gene Valaitis and Jon Liedtke discuss the resurgence of a “panic loop” in 2026, fueled by a new virus and media sensationalism. They critique the government’s inconsistent public health responses and loss of institutional trust, suggesting a “system shake” with realistic leadership is needed to restore public confidence.
Transcript (Gemini Generated):
Gene Valaitis: We have that MP from Western Canada, Dan Mazier, and he was questioning in a parliamentary committee in Ottawa last week, the Public Health Minister. And he wanted to know if injecting fentanyl was safe. She would not answer the question. And she just came off like, well, like a jerk. So Adam’s got some thoughts on that. It’ll be good. Right now though, we’re John— we’re joined by a great storyteller on this show. Jon Liedtke is back. Good morning, Jon.
Jon Liedtke: Good morning, Gene.
Gene Valaitis: I love you sent me a message here, and we’re going to be talking about this brand new virus. And you said, “Tomorrow morning I want to talk about the deja vu machine. Good luck, have fun, don’t die.” Now, I know that you’ve been tracking the headlines as have I about the— a virus. It was from that cruise ship out in the Atlantic. Now, interestingly enough, and talk about deja vu, that’s what I got yesterday. I started seeing ticker tape numbers on CNN right next to the oil prices. And my first question was, “Man, this feels like 2020 all over again.” Or Jon, are we smarter this time?
Jon Liedtke: Are we smarter this time? Um, I’d like to think you and I are smarter this time, Gene. Collectively, I don’t know. Put the two of us in a room, who knows if we’re smarter or not. But it’s 2026 and we are back in the loop. It’s like Scarface; just when they thought we were out, they’re pulling us back in again. It does feel like total deja vu. We’ve got the ticker tape at the bottom of the screens, the media is sensationalizing it without telling us clear information, and they’re actually telling us that they’re not telling us clear information about it for whatever reason. Whether we’re smarter this time around is debatable, but the machinery has gone back into full swing. The gears are in motion, the oil’s been put into the mechanics. We’re watching the same panic loop start to spin up, but only this time the cynicism is higher because we’ve seen how the sausage is made. We’ve seen what the problems are. And oh, that’s right, we’re still in the middle of a protracted European engagement between Russia and Ukraine and the world. Oh right, this time we’ve got the Middle East going on. Um, so yeah, you know, I think all of our nerves are up to about eight and a half right now.
Gene Valaitis: Yeah, I tend to agree. Now, do you trust the current federal software to handle this?
Jon Liedtke: I don’t know. You know, there’s— it’s a 40% mortality rate. We’ve seen three deaths on a ship of 150 people. That’s— that’s scary. This isn’t a drill. I mean, this is a predator. Now, is it going to be spreading as quickly as COVID did? By all accounts it doesn’t seem so, but we’re not being told this information. But no, I don’t trust our executive software running the system right now, and you and I have spoken about that. If this thing scales up, the government’s going to move straight into digital martial law territory. They’re going to view the citizenry as stupid and crass. They— and I don’t know how far they’ll go this time. We know they didn’t seize airways last time. They didn’t do a Digital Censorship Act or anything. Um, but we didn’t see the prevention of conspiracy theorists running amok with it either. And there was a large sensible group of people that were left looking to the left, looking to the right, wondering “What am I supposed to believe right now?” What I can tell you is is that people will react to lethal chaos, but the government rather would control the story than just trust the people with the information.
Gene Valaitis: Yeah. Well, they did seize bank accounts way back when and we tend to kind of forget that. Um, you’ve told me in the past that you’re a fan of Sam Rockwell’s film Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die. Now, looking at that Trump presser yesterday and the virus news, and he falling asleep again at his desk, is that basically the new global national anthem? “Good luck, have fun, don’t die”?
Jon Liedtke: It’s not just a movie line. It’s the fine print on every government press release from Ottawa to DC around the globe right now. We are living a live-action sci-fi flick and the lead actors are all reading from the teleprompter that’s been unplugged for years, but now turned back on and spooled back up. Honestly, watching that presser yesterday with the virus roar, the movie title Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die is the only thing that actually makes sense. It is the unofficial doctrine right now. We’ve all checked out, but that’s the remaining sentiment. It’s dark, it’s bleak, but it’s the reality of a world without institutional trust or institutional adults.
Gene Valaitis: Yeah. You know, back in 2020, and I remember this and it’s still right there center, and I brought this up with Sue-Ann Levy yesterday when she was on Monday. In 2020, we saw politicians because everybody said, “Well, it’s coming from Wuhan, China,” and people were starting to criticize Chinese Canadians. Then Mayor John Tory and Dr. Tam said, “You know, go out and have dinner at a Chinese food restaurant tonight to show solidarity with Chinese Canadians.” Well, you know what? It’s 2026. Um, you know, you do work for B’nai Brith. Antisemitic attacks are way up there. Where are the politicians, as Sue-Ann said yesterday? Like, go out and have some matzo ball soup, go out and buy some bagels. I mean, they haven’t done anything.
Jon Liedtke: No, no. We’ve see— we’ve seen no stopping of antizionist, anti-Israel rhetoric whatsoever. In 2020, the world’s institutional public health elite were the most expensive restaurant critics that we’ve ever seen. The bureaucracy, though, traded a neutral whistle for a campaign strategist spreadsheet, as you and I have discussed as of late in picking and choosing of electoral favors. So back then, the optics was supporting Chinese restaurants, but right now, where is that energy for Jewish or Israeli Canadians? The safety and rights of our community has been sidelined or ignored because electoral math doesn’t work out. The bureaucracy isn’t being neutral; it’s been co-opted by forces that treat protection as a political reward rather than a fundamental right. It’s— it’s depressing.
Gene Valaitis: Mm. Um, you floated the idea with me and in the past of what you call the “system shake” and having an adult in the room. Explain that.
Jon Liedtke: Yeah, we definitely do need to have a system shake. And I look to someone like Jason Kenney, who is making a lot of noise right now on the national scene and for obvious reasons with that data breach out of the Alberta— out of Alberta right now. But he, you know, he is a realist who understands how the gears of the state turn. He’s an institutionalist who can act as an honest broker, unlike the current crop who quite frankly, let’s be honest, a lot of people like the liberals, but a lot of people are also still very concerned about them. So, and Carney is still painting inside of Justin Trudeau’s lines right now. So Kenney does have the potential to be a different adult in the room who flips the script, ends the post-2015 fairy tale that we’re still sort of living in the hangover of, and bringing us back to reality. I’m not being a pusher of Kenney, but just rather someone of that scope. If I were Mark Carney, I’d be bringing in oppositional forces that are outside of current government that were in past government to try to create a, you know, a coalition, if you will.
Gene Valaitis: Yeah. Uh, final one because I’m just about out of time here. If the ticker tape on the TV thing tells us to stay home tomorrow, Jon, are you staying home or have you reached your limit on selective government advice?
Jon Liedtke: I’ve reached my limit on selective advice. I will do what I did during COVID, which is follow my own public health advice based off of what I’m seeing and, you know, I do a full amalgam of like all of the different public health advice and see what applies to us locally here. But when the government spends years picking and choosing which groups to protect based on their own survival, they’ve lost the moral authority to tell me how to manage my own. I’m not going to follow a script written by a co-opted bureaucracy. I’m waiting for an institutionalist that I could actually trust.
This aired on 610 CKTB
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