Mark Slapinski
The Premier of Saskatchewan has drawn praise and condemnation for referring to unvaccinated people as “our friends” and calling for an end to stigmatization. Premier Scott Moe made the comments Tuesday during a meeting at the legislature.
According to Scott Moe, “we are going to do everything that we can to ensure that we are not … stigmatizing the unvaccinated. These are our family, these are our friends and we should not be labeling them with terms like ‘right-wing wacko’.”
While some applauded Scott Moe’s comments, others felt that Moe’s comments did not go far enough. In response to the news of Moe’s comments, one person wrote, “…too late for that, Scott Moe. For a long time, you seemed like the only sane, reasonable and competent politician in this country. For whatever reason, you betrayed that trust. I hope you can find the courage to regain it.”
According to surveys, a majority of Canadian support vaccine passports and vaccine mandates. However, a small, but vocal group of people have been pushing back on the mandates. Some view the mandates as “tyrannical,” while more extreme elements of the movement have compared mandates to the Holocaust. Comparisons between the Holocaust and vaccine mandates have been condemned by Jewish advocacy groups.
Additionally, according to a poll from Leger-ACS, a majority of Canadians would not invite an unvaccinated friend or family member to their home:
Fifty-seven per cent say they wouldn’t invite an unvaccinated person into their home, a rate that’s highest in British Columbia at 70 per cent, and lowest in Atlantic Canada at 50 per cent. Fifty-five per cent of Ontarians and Quebecers wouldn’t do so, nor would 59 per cent of those in Saskatchewan and Manitoba and 58 per cent of Albertans.
Vaccines are considered to be safe and effective by health authorities in Canada. According to the Government of Canada’s website:
Only vaccines that are proven to be safe, effective and of high quality are approved for use in Canada. The COVID-19 vaccines have been tested according to international standards during their development and then carefully reviewed by Health Canada.
The website goes on to dispel a popular myth on vaccines changing people’s DNA:
The vaccines can’t give you COVID-19 because they don’t contain the virus that causes it. The vaccines also can’t change your DNA.
