Majority of Canadians say at least 75 per cent should be vaccinated at home before Canada-u.s. border re-opens

As tens of millions of vaccinated Canadians begin to re-imagine a post pandemic life, caution and concern remain a significant part of their psyches, especially when it comes to issues of unsealing the land border this country shares with the United States.

A new study from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute finds the vast majority (69 per cent) would wait until at least three-quarters of this country has been fully vaccinated before welcoming Americans across the line for non-essential travel – the threshold floated by the Trudeau government.

Tellingly, a plurality (38 per cent) say they would wait until more than 75 per cent of Canadians have been fully vaccinated before allowing U.S. visitors.

By contrast, one-in-five (22 per cent) say that the government is taking too much time and should open the border right away. This group is led by people who travelled frequently before the pandemic.

As for the timing of the Trudeau government’s decision to drop quarantine requirements for fully vaccinated Canadians returning home from abroad, slightly more than half (54 per cent) say that this change – implemented in early July – is well-timed. Close to equal numbers take opposite positions, however, with onefifth saying Ottawa waited too long to implement the change (21 per cent), and one-quarter saying the decision was too rushed (25 per cent).

More Key Findings:

- Half of Canadians (50 per cent) now say Prime Minister Trudeau has done a good job of handling the pandemic. This is the highest mark since January. Forty-six per cent say he has done a poor job

- Personal concern over becoming ill with COVID19 has dropped to 47 per cent. This is the lowest level since June 2020

The full poll can be viewed online at https://angusreid.org/covid-canada-us-border/