It seems the patience of many Canadians may have reached its limit and some are now in favour of harsh punishments for the unvaccinated population.
A new national poll conducted by Maru Public Opinion shows that 37 per cent of those asked say it would be acceptable to deny the unvaccinated publicly-funded health care.
The polling showed that nearly half of respondents (48 per cent) blame the unvaccinated for overwhelming the health care system, four in 10 blame them for holding Canadians back from having a new normal life, and more than a third blame them for endangering society (36 per cent) and for misguided conspiracy theories (36 per cent).
A majority of people polled (54 per cent) said they don’t have sympathy for the unvaccinated who get seriously ill from the virus. About 45 per cent said they didn't have sympathy for those who are unvaccinated and die from the virus.
However, more than a quarter of those polled (27 per cent) view the unvaccinated as being viewed as good people with legitimate reasons and concerns, while 12 per cent say they are heroes for free speech and freedom of choice.
The polling data showed that those who remain unvaccinated have a variety of reasons, including defending their civil liberty to make a choice for themselves (45 per cent), waiting for more data to see if it is truly safe for them to get the vaccine (42 per cent), believing their immune system can beat COVID-19 and therefore there is no need for the vaccine (32 per cent). They also cite being anxious and scared as to what it could do to them (28 per cent), not wanting the government telling them what to do (22 per cent), being concerned about the potential impact on their genetic structure (21 per cent), not wanting something foreign put in their body (15 per cent), that COVID-19 is just a hoax and the virus is just a bad flu and not a killer (9 per cent), and it’s just a ploy by drug companies to get rich (7 per cent).
Two-thirds (66 per cent) of Canadians favour mandatory vaccinations for everyone aged 5 and older. However, most (82 per cent) are open to some exemptions for legitimate and diagnosed medical conditions, according to Maru Public Opinion.
The surveyor also found that most Canadians find proof of vaccination acceptable to enter public spaces and encourage those who refuse to get the shot to get one (77 per cent). Some also have no problem having the unvaccinated pay out of pocket for the full medical cost, if they are admitted to the hospital or an ICU because they have contracted COVID-19 (61 per cent), pay a healthcare fee on their taxes of up to $150 per month (61 per cent), refuse them access to any publicly funded hospital and medical services (37 per cent), refuse them the renewal of their driver’s license (33 per cent), and even have them serve up to five days in jail for endangering others and overwhelming the health care system (27 per cent).
Under Canadian law, public health care can't be denied.
National public health numbers showed that nearly one in ten Canadians (9 per cent) admit they are currently not vaccinated.
The survey of 1,506 randomly selected Canadian adults who are Maru Voice Canada online panelists was done on Friday and Saturday.
The entire report can be found here.