The issue has become a point of debate in light of a new House of Commons policy that will bar unvaccinated MPs from entering the parliamentary buildings when sittings resume on Nov. 22.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
More than 80 per cent of Canadians say all MPs should be vaccinated against COVID-19, a new poll suggests.
The survey, conducted by Nanos Research for The Globe and Mail, found that 75.2 per cent of respondents said they agree and 8 per cent said they somewhat agree with the statement “All members of Parliament should be vaccinated for COVID-19.” Just 11.1 per cent said they disagree and 3 per cent said they somewhat disagree with the statement.
The issue has become a point of debate in light of a new House of Commons policy that will bar unvaccinated MPs from entering the parliamentary buildings when sittings resume on Nov. 22, the first sitting since June 23.
“The survey shows that a very strong majority of Canadians, more than eight in 10, believe MPs should be vaccinated. This aligns with the general vaccination levels in Canada,” said Nik Nanos, the founder and chief data scientist for Nanos Research, in a statement.
“For parties supporting mandatory MP vaccination it demonstrates they are aligned with most voters. This research suggests that this issue is a serious risk for the Conservatives and their leader Erin O’Toole. It could permanently define both the party and its leader and suggest they are out of touch with the vast majority of Canadians.”
Mr. O’Toole has said all his MPs who show up on Nov. 22 will be fully vaccinated, but he would not say how many in the whole Conservative caucus are unvaccinated. He has said his party will formally challenge those rules. The other parties have said their MPs are fully vaccinated except for a Liberal MP who has a medical exemption.
Mr. O’Toole has also faced questions about a group of MPs in his caucus who are organizing to defend Canadians who object to vaccination mandates.
The Nanos Research survey also found that 44 per cent of Canadians said they disagree and 10 per cent said they somewhat disagree with the statement “Members of Parliament who do not wish to reveal their vaccination status should be offered alternatives such as daily rapid testing or the ability to participate in House of Commons debates by remote video link.”
Meanwhile, 28.3 per cent said they agree and 15.4 per cent said they somewhat agree.
Nanos conducted a hybrid telephone and online random survey of 1,026 Canadians 18 or older between Oct. 31 and Nov. 3. The research was part of an omnibus survey.
The margin of error for the survey was plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
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