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Rob Vanstone: Dr. Saqib Shahab is a great gift to Saskatchewan

Rob Vanstone applauds the class and grace of Dr. Saqib Shahab, Saskatchewan's chief medical health officer, during the pandemic period.

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Dr. Saqib Shahab is one of the finest people I have never met.

One day, I want to shake his hand — when, you know, that can be a thing again — and thank him profusely, sincerely, for everything he has done for our province.

We should all be so grateful that Saskatchewan’s chief medical health officer has our backs.

We should all appreciate the calm wisdom he has demonstrated and articulated since March, when COVID-19 began to dictate our actions (or inactions) to such a significant degree.

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It is undeniable that the public-health restrictions can feel burdensome, particularly of late.

Dr. Shahab and Premier Scott Moe have implored us not to visit others’ households — a notion that is especially deflating around Christmas time.

Masks must be worn in public places. Many of those venues are eerily quiet. Learning institutions of all descriptions have been affected.

We can’t even hug anymore, or so it seems.

Yet, Dr. Shahab deserves to be embraced, as does his mindset.

“We’re very fortunate to have him here in Saskatchewan,” Moe said of Dr. Shahab, who graduated at the top of his class from Rawalpindi Medical College in the Punjab province of Pakistan, during Monday’s COVID briefing.

“He could have chosen anywhere in the world to go and practise his trade, but he didn’t. He chose here, and Saskatchewan is certainly a better place because of the choice that he made.”

Hear, hear!

Moe also made a point of condemning xenophobic references that were uttered Saturday on the steps of the Legislative Building, during a so-called “freedom rally.”

“I’m actually very embarrassed that anyone from this province would make such disgusting comments,” the premier said. “I find it sickening and I know many other people in the province do.”

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I was so sickened that, on Monday morning, my daily “GREAT person salute” on Twitter was given to Dr. Shahab.

The responses were overwhelmingly along the lines of “Thank you, Dr. Shahab,” “Needs to be said again and again,” and “This 1,197,987 x.”

Sensible people recognize that Dr. Shahab is a great gift to us all.

If that sentiment required any reinforcing, it was provided Monday afternoon when Dr. Shahab fielded a question from CTV’s Marc Smith about a “freedom rally” that went off the rails due to a repugnant rant.

“I think racist comments speak more to the people making them than to whom they’re directed,” Dr. Shahab began, adding that he was “grateful to the premier, the leader of the opposition and many other people who reached out directly to me or spoke in the media to condemn these comments.”

“But I would like to say that I have my own privileges,” he continued. “I’m a male physician, well-paid, with a good job, and I’m shielded from the harm that these comments make. But we all know that there are many people in the province and the world who don’t have these privileges and protections.

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“So I think this gives us pause to think about our own prejudices, and all of us have them — I have them — and to be thoughtful about what we say and how it impacts others.”

Dr. Shahab went on to say that he would like to “reach out and understand” why people question the measures that are in place or the efficacy of wearing masks.

“I think it is important for them to consider the impact those actions have on their children, who see this behaviour, who themselves may then become in a situation where they may perpetuate these views,” he continued.

What Dr. Shahab had to say was a case study in grace, in perspective, in understanding, in leadership, and in poise.

He responded not with vitriol or indignation, but by eloquently conveying a message that should be an example for all to follow.

“What he said in response to the CTV question was jaw-dropping,” Regina Leader-Post columnist Murray Mandryk said. “It not only silenced the radio room, but it also silenced an entire province — hopefully in a good way.”

A great way.

The only way we have come to expect from our friend, Dr. Saqib Shahab.

rvanstone@postmedia.com

twitter.com/robvanstone

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