Canadians approve of stricter lockdowns, says poll.

Alberta, Ontario, Quebec have tough lockdowns

• The major - ity of Canadians support much stricter COVID-19 lockdowns, including a requirement to carry proof of vaccinations at all times, mask-wearing in all outdoor settings and $10,000 fines for rule breakers, according to a poll.

The Maru/Blue Public Opinion survey found that 89 per cent of respondents support keeping the Canada-U.S. border closed, as well as forcing international travellers to provide negative COVID-19 tests before returning to Canada.

But respondents also supported further measures, like forcing people to stay home except for essential purposes — grocery shopping, securing medication or getting vaccinated. A majority also supported broadbased school closures.

The results come as governments in Alberta, Ontario and Quebec have imposed stringent lockdowns as a way to curb rising COVID-19 cases. Ontario last month announced province-wide restrictions that shuttered indoor dining and temporarily shifted schools to strictly online learning. Quebec this week announced similar measures, including an 8 p.m. curfew.

Lockdowns have remained a controversial topic since the beginning of the pandemic, with many people voicing concerns over extraordinary limits to their civil liberties in the name of fighting a virus from which the vast majority of people quickly recover.

Respondents in Quebec were generally the most supportive of more severe restrictions, followed by Atlantic Canada and Ontario. Respondents in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta were less supportive.

On the question of new restrictions that would compel vaccinated people to “carry a health card verification on you at all times,” 71 per cent of total respondents said they would support the measure. That included 80 per cent support in Atlantic Canada, compared with 57 per cent in Alberta.

Asked whether they would support restricting people from leaving their homes except for “essential reasons such grocery shopping, getting medications, and being vaccinated,” 65 per cent said they were in support, including 74 per cent of Quebec respondents.

Among those surveyed, 56 per cent favoured mask-wearing in all public circumstances, “even outdoors when walking.” Atlantic Canada was the most supportive of such a measure at 67 per cent, and Alberta least supportive at 46 per cent.

Seventy-nine per cent favoured closing “all places of worship,” with the exception of weddings (up to five people) and funeral services (up to 20 people). The same people were apparently less concerned with closing “skiing and snowboarding activity centres,” with only 56 per cent in support.

Sixty-four per cent of people supported $10,000 fines for people “found to be in violation of any lockdown rules.” Responses varied with Ontario (68 per cent support), Quebec (66 per cent), Manitoba/Saskatchewan (58 per cent) and Alberta (51 per cent).

On the question of when to lift restrictions, most said it should happen only after hospital usages are reduced (33 per cent), while another 27 per cent would prefer to see case counts fall to lows reached in August 2020. Ten per cent of people opposed any and all restrictions, including wearing masks.

John Wright, executive vice-president of Maru/ Blue, said the disparity in responses on when restrictions should be lifted speaks to the widely varying views among the Canadian public about what it is ultimately seeking to achieve.

“There's no consensus in this country as to when anything should be lifted if it were imposed, and I think that's really telling,” he said. “There needs to be some sort of judgment put forward as to what the end game is here, because it's clear that the politicians don't have the public focused in any one way as to why efforts would be underway. It speaks to a general chaos that this second wave is causing.”

Residents of Quebec were the most supportive of the more draconian restrictions, with 52 per cent in support of barring anyone from going more than five kilometres from their home except for essential purposes (Alberta had 29 per cent support.) Fifty per cent of Quebec respondents said they would favour restrictions limiting outdoor activities to no more than one hour per person per day.

People also supported restrictions already in place in some provinces. Most supported shuttering restaurants with the exception of takeout (78 per cent), and closing non-essential office spaces (71 per cent).

Following the recent move by the Trudeau government to force all incoming travellers to prove negative COVID-19 tests before entering Canada, 89 per cent of respondents said they supported such a measure.

That policy has been heavily criticized by Canadian airline companies and industry associations, who warned the move would leave Canadians stranded. WestJet barred at least 32 travellers from flights Thursday, when the new measure came into place, including 10 people returning to the Calgary airport via Cancun, Mexico.

The survey results come as new cases of COVID-19 in Canada have been rapidly rising, particularly in the two largest provinces of Quebec and Ontario.

Maru/Blue surveyed 1,505 randomly-selected Canadians on Jan. 6. The poll is nationally accurate to within plus or minus 2.9 per cent, using a Bayesian credibility interval.