Poll finds majority of Canadians want COVID restrictions scrapped following trucker protests

02/03/2022 / By Ramon Tomey

A poll found that majority of Canadians now want to put an end to the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions currently in place. The poll’s findings coincided with the Freedom Convoy protests in Canada organized by truckers opposing the country’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

The online survey conducted by the non-profit Angus Reid Institute (ARI) polled 1,688 adults who are members of the internet message board Angus Reid Forum from Jan. 27 to 28, 2022. It found that 54 percent of respondents were in favor of lifting COVID-19 restrictions. An earlier poll conducted by the institute from Jan. 7 to 12 found that only 40 percent of participants wanted restrictions to be scrapped.

Commenting on the 14 percent rise in those favoring the lifting of restrictions, the institute said “the public sentiment appears to be moving in the direction of opening up communities.” The survey also found that at least more than half of respondents based in different Canadian provinces share the same sentiment of scrapping restrictions in place.

Fifty-nine percent of respondents from the French-speaking Quebec Province expressed a desire to eschew restrictions, the most stringent in the country. These include banning the unvaccinated from stores and making drugstores in large retail establishments accompany unvaccinated customers at all times.

Saskatchewan Province also showed the same sentiments, with 62 percent of respondents there agreeing to drop all restrictions. Premier Scott Moe seemingly understood this, leading to his proclamation that the province will no longer see any new COVID-19 restrictions. (Related: Saskatchewan premier says ENOUGH of harmful Covid restrictions.)

Atlantic Canada became the only exception in the survey, with majority agreeing to keep restrictions in place. The region consisting of Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island had 52 percent of respondents disagreeing with plans to lift any imposed COVID-19 rules.

Increased anti-lockdown sentiment attributed to Freedom Convoy

The ARI survey was conducted amid the Freedom Convoy organized by truckers protesting the Canadian government’s vaccine mandate. The convoy set out from the westernmost province of British Columbia on Jan. 23, 2022. It proceeded eastward, reaching the capital Ottawa on Jan. 29.

The convoy organizers initially estimated only 1,600 trucks to participate in the demonstration. This later grew to 36,000 trucks and eventually hit almost 50,000 by the time it reached the Canadian capital.

Parliament Opposition Leader Candace Bergen expressed her support toward the protesting truckers, saying they “have had enough of lockdowns and broken promises.” The interim leader of the Conservative Party of Canada tweeted: “They deserve to be heard and they deserve respect.”

Her description of the truckers starkly contrasted with how Prime Minister Justin Trudeau portrayed them – as “racists and homophobes.” Trudeau initially dubbed the Freedom Convoy and their supporters as a “fringe minority” harboring “unacceptable views.”

The prime minister later remarked on Jan. 31 that he has no plans to meet with the protesters as he does not believe in their goals. “I have chosen not to go anywhere near protests that have expressed hateful rhetoric, violence toward fellow citizens and a disrespect not just for science, but the frontline health workers and 90 percent of truckers who have been doing the right thing to keep Canadians safe and put food on out table,” said Trudeau.

However, law enforcement itself immediately disproved Trudeau’s description of the convoy as violent and hateful. “No riots, no injuries, no deaths. None of that has occurred over the last four days. That is a measure of success for any jurisdiction in Canada and, quite frankly, anywhere in the world,” said Ottawa Police Service (OPS) Chief Peter Sloly about the Freedom Convoy.

Two statements by the OPS released on Jan. 30 attested to the peaceful nature of the gathering in Ottawa. The first statement mentioned several challenges with demonstrators, which were “de-escalated and resolved with no arrests.” A subsequent release touched on “disruptive, inappropriate and threatening behavior from demonstrators,” but did not mention if any arrests were made.