Canadians want pandemic to end by ‘any means necessary:’ survey

 

Do you want our public officials to do whatever it takes to eradicate COVID-19?

A recent survey from KPMG in Canada found the vast majority of Canadians want the pandemic to end by 'any means necessary,' and for the country to take a ‘Canada-first’ strategy to jumpstart the economy.

“Our research found most Canadians recognize we won’t be able to get our economy back on track until we have crushed the pandemic and vaccinated the majority of the country,” Silvia Montefiore, Canadian managing partner and COO for KPMG in Canada, said in a news release.

Based on the findings, 89 per cent of respondents believe the rollout of approved vaccines is the only way to protect public health and allow businesses to reopen.

Additionally, 89 per cent said they intend to focus their personal spending on domestic opportunities to help Canada’s economy recover.

Further, 92 per cent want the federal government to create incentives to ‘buy Canadian’ to build necessary domestic capacity to supply critical products, and 86 per cent want corporate Canada to allocate a share of all its contracts to small- and medium-sized Canadian businesses.

Moreover, 91 per cent said the pandemic has given them an increased appreciation for unsung essential workers--such as garbage collectors and truckers, while 87 per cent said there is a need for less red tape and more incentives for entrepreneurs to start and grow their businesses, and 83 per cent want the government to continue to make investments to strengthen the healthcare system and support people hurt by the lockdowns.

“Canadians right across the board - from business owners to people who lost their job due to COVID-19 to essential workers--also believe that continued government investment is required to strengthen our healthcare system and support people hurt by the lockdowns--especially small- and medium-sized businesses in a number of sectors that have suffered significant economic losses as a result of the pandemic," Montefiore added.