A new Angus Reid Institute poll shows most Canadians oppose provinces charging $100 for the COVID-19 vaccine, a policy recently introduced in Alberta and Quebec. Nationwide, 69% of respondents are against the fee, while just 24% support it.Support is highest in Alberta at 36%, largely driven by 64% of past UCP voters. Opposition reaches 78% in Nova Scotia and exceeds 60% in every other region outside Alberta.Past Conservative Party voters are divided on the idea, with 47% in favour and 44% opposed. By contrast, 89% of past Liberal voters reject charging for the vaccine..Much of the support among Conservatives appears tied to doubts about vaccine effectiveness. While three-quarters of Canadians believe COVID-19 and flu vaccines reduce the chance of infection, only 52% of past Conservative voters agree, compared with 94% of past Liberals.Concern over COVID-19 infection has also fallen nationally, with just 29% describing themselves as very or moderately worried, a level comparable to February 2020, before the pandemic hit Canada.The poll underscores broad public resistance to ending free COVID-19 immunization, even as new variants Nimbus and Stratus circulate and provinces weigh future vaccination strategies.
