A confidential memo from the Privy Council Office (PCO) on Aug. 13, 2021, revealed that Liberal and New Democrat voters were more likely to get vaccinated than Conservatives. .According to Blacklock’s Reporter, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called for an election just two days later, focusing on the issue of vaccine mandates..“Partisanship was associated with intention to vaccinate,” said the memo Emerging Evidence On COVID-19. .“Those who voted liberal/democrat expressed intention to vaccinate at higher rates than those who voted for other parties.”.“Those who voted Liberal or NDP in the 2019 election were most likely to indicate the intention to vaccinate compared to those who voted for other parties,” said the memo. The document was released through Access to Information..“Alberta and Saskatchewan have the highest percentage of the population who do not intend to vaccinate,” said Emerging Evidence. The Liberal Party at the time held no seats in either province..“We’ve seen where Conservative backbenchers have referred to some of this government’s decisions as tyrannical in terms of how we’re creating mandates for vaccination of public servants or vaccination for people on trains or airplanes,” said Trudeau. .“Well, the answer to tyranny is to have an election.”.“I think people who disagree with this government or disagree with this direction should have an opportunity to make themselves heard,” said Trudeau. .“That’s what this election is all about. It’s allowing Canadians to weigh in.”. Liberal NDP Voters Vax .On Aug. 19, 2021, the Privy Council Office (PCO) issued a second memo highlighting “pockets” of vaccine hesitancy in some areas of Canada that traditionally supported the Conservative party. This memo provided additional insights into the vaccination landscape and its association with political affiliations..“There are pockets across the country of low vaccine uptake including northern parts of British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan, rural southern Ontario and southern Manitoba,” said the second memo Closing The Gap For Vaccine Hesitancy During The Last Mile Of Vaccine Rollout..“Reasons for lower uptake in these regions are multifactorial and complex and include access issues, prevailing political ideologies, regional industry, demographics and more.”.During his campaign, Trudeau criticized voters who opposed vaccine mandates. He called them racists, misogynists, and unfit parents..“They are putting at risk their own kids and they’re putting at risk our kids as well,” Trudeau said on Aug. 31, 2021. .“What about my choice to keep my kids safe?”.“These are extremists who don’t believe in science,” Trudeau said on Sept. 16, 2021. .“They are often misogynists, also often racists. It’s a small group of people that muscles in and we have to make a choice. Do we tolerate these people?”.Trudeau later stated that his approach to managing the pandemic was “grounded in science” and based on expert advice..“We’re a government that is grounded in science and data and expert advice and we followed the advice of public health offices and medical professionals to keep Canadians safe during the pandemic,” Trudeau told reporters last February 19. .“That included encouraging through every means we could people to get vaccinated. That worked.”.The Liberal Party in 2021 won re-election with 5,556,629 votes or 32.6% of the popular vote. In 2019 it was re-elected with 6,018,728 votes or 33.1%..According to the Closing The Gap memo, during the 2021 election campaign, Canada had one of the highest rates of voluntary vaccination in the world, even without implementing mandates. .“Canada is among the top countries in the world in terms of one dose coverage and we are quickly gaining ground on two dose coverage,” said the memo..It estimated 72% of all Canadians had taken at least one COVID shot compared to take-up rates in the United Kingdom (70%), France (67%), Germany (62%) and the United States (59%).
