Canadians are becoming more and more concerned about freedom of speech and the issue of freedom, a new poll found.
Conducted by Nanos Research vote Of all the national issues of concern, freedom of speech and freedom is the “most important” for Canadians at 8.3%, second only to the coronavirus at 13.1%, and a higher priority than the environment at 7.5%. It turned out to be.
Released to March 15This study tracks the issues that Canadians are most concerned about every week since it began on January 24, 2020.
Nick NanosThe chief data scientist and founder of Nanos Research said the concerns surrounding freedom were likely related to truck driver protests against COVID-19 obligations and restrictions earlier this year.
“I’m polling now, awesome, I think it was 35 years ago, and without prompts, freedom of speech and freedom of speech wasn’t really on the agenda or radar from a public opinion point of view,” he said. Said At the CTV news trendline on March 16th.
“But a significant percentage of Canadians seem to be in their minds about one of the things they are worried about, without prompting.”
A large truck convoy called the Freedom Convoy arrived in Ottawa on January 29, protesting the federal COVID-19 vaccine obligations for truck carriers traveling between Canada and the United States. It turned into a bigger movement after many Canadians from all over the country participated and expressed support for ending various COVID-19 obligations and restrictions.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who refused to meet through the truck driver himself or his representative, enacted an emergency law on February 14 in response to the protest. The law provided police with additional tools to wipe out protesters who had parked their trucks in downtown Ottawa for several weeks.
At the same time, it gave the state additional authority, such as freezing the protesters’ individual and corporate bank accounts and revoking the truck company’s insurance coverage associated with the protest without a court order.
Nanos polls show that Canadians began expressing concern about freedom of speech and freedom in the final week of December 2020. The poll is about 0.1%. The percentage gradually increased, and by the week of January 3, this year, it jumped from 3% to about 10% of the peak in mid-February, lagging behind 17% of the coronavirus, almost equal to healthcare. became.
Nanos said the general rise in truck driver protests and concerns about personal freedom reflects the growing sentiment of populists in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and other major democracies. rice field.
“Because the government is trying to fight a pandemic, the percentage of Canadians who believe the government is infringing or infringing freedom is quite high, vaccination is at the top of the list, and people’s movements are restricted. .”He said.
Nanos Research voted on a random telephone interview with 1,066 Canadians over the age of 18 until March 11. The data collected is based on a 4-week moving average with the oldest group of 250 interviews removed each week. 250 will be added.
Voting is considered accurate within 19 out of 20 +/- 3 percentage points.
follow
Isaac Teo is a Toronto-based Epoch Times reporter.