The House of Commons voted on Wednesday on a private Conservative bill aimed at preventing the federal government from bringing back COVID-19 vaccine mandates. The vote was 205 votes against and 114 in support.According to Blacklock’s Reporter, the most recent vaccine mandates ended on October 1 2022.“This bill targets the unreasonable overreaches of the federal policy and unjustified abuses of federal government power,” said Opposition leader Pierre Poilievre, author of Bill C-278. “The bill targets these overreaches and abuses of power.”Bill C-278 An Act to Prevent the Imposition by the Federal Government of Vaccination Mandates for Employment and Travel aimed to stop the government from bringing back COVID-19 vaccine mandates under the Canada Labour Code, Aeronautics Act, Railway Safety Act and Canada Shipping Act.“The prime minister had the temerity to go on television about three months ago and claim he never forced anyone to get vaccinated,” Poilievre told the Commons Tuesday. “He claimed it should be a matter of personal choice. He wanted us all to forget the way he divided, insulted and name-called millions of people right across this country who are patriotic, law-abiding, decent people.”Liberal, Bloc Québécois, New Democrat and Green MPs opposed the bill. Bloc MP Denis Trudel (Longueuil-Saint Hubert, QC) called it “a bit of a nightmare.” Cabinet expressed regret the bill was introduced.“I think most Canadians recognize how difficult a time that was and how important and safe vaccines were,” Government House Leader Karina Gould on Wednesday told reporters. “This is just riling up people.”The federal government did not look at how many Canadians lost their jobs because of vaccine mandates.The Public Health Agency of Canada never recommended using vaccine mandates.“From a public health perspective, we want people to be sort of informed and make a voluntary choice to get a vaccine,” Dr. Howard Njoo, deputy chief public health officer, told reporters on January 21 2022. “People should be encouraged. It doesn’t have to be because there’s a mandate.”At first, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau did not support mandates.“There are a broad range of reasons why someone might not get vaccinated,” Trudeau told reporters on January 14 2021. “I think the indications that the vast majority of Canadians are looking to get vaccinated will get us to a good place without having to take more extreme measures that could have real divisive impacts on community and country.”Records indicate federal mandates were introduced following confidential in-house Privy Council research. Pollsters in a March 12 2021, study Psychographic Segmentation of Canadians Regarding COVID-19 showed likelier Liberal voters, such as retirees, francophones and women under 34 were most supportive of mandates while likelier Conservative voters, such as working men, suburban families with children and Prairie residents were most opposed.“Successful segmentation of the general population depends upon exploiting the diversity in the opposition and offering Canadians experiences, services and messages tailored to their needs or values,” said Psychographic Segmentation. “Using population segmentation works well.”The prime minister decided to hold a general election in 2021 as a referendum on vaccine mandates. Trudeau won the election but with only 32.6% of the vote.Unvaccinated people were “putting at risk our kids,” Trudeau told an August 31 2021 campaign rally.“These are extremists who don’t believe in science,” Trudeau said on September 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?”
