Government Responses To the Covid-19 Pandemic: Comparative Health Policies in the Us and Canada

Abstract

In this chapter, we seek to analyse how the United States (US) and Canada handled the COVID-19 pandemic, the resulting consequences on domestic politics, and the overall effect on global geopolitics. The record voter turnout for the 2020 US elections is viewed as an outcome of increased polarisation, politicisation and disinformation, and the general lack of transparency and accountability regarding the COVID-19 crisis under the Trump Administration. On the other hand, although Trump’s isolationist and right-wing policies, in general, pushed Canada into a lonely position in tackling the virus, Canada was able to perform better at handling the virus effectively. Due to robust lockdowns and fiscal stimulus packages and investments in healthcare and COVID-related research, Canada recovered well. Moreover, a comparison of the results of the 2020 US and 2021 Canadian elections indicates that while most Americans distrusted Trump’s pandemic agenda, most Canadians chose to re-elect Prime Minister Justin Trudeau given his successful handling of the virus. © 2024 selection and editorial matter, Erman Akilli, Burak Güneş and Ahmet Gökbel.