Canada is imminently facing the fourth wave of COVID-19 and its associated Delta variant, threatening to overwhelm Canadian hospitals' Intensive Care Units (ICUs). The vast majority of Canadians are vaccinated against COVID-19, but millions of others are not despite surplus vaccine supply.
"We need to act to protect access to our hospital beds, and where possible we must pursue policy alternative solutions to general lockdowns that hurt the economy," says Independent Candidate Stefan Klietsch. "That in turn requires us to vaccinate as many eligible Canadians as possible, including many of those who currently do not want to be vaccinated and do not believe the vaccines to be in their self-interest. We must find better ways to persuade them, even if that means paying them to vaccinate."
Governments in Ontario and elsewhere in Canada have been pursuing vaccine mandate policies which require vaccination prior to entering specific public spaces. The Government of Alberta recently announced $100 gift cards for those who vaccinate. Furthermore, some economists have suggested cash payments as incentive towards vaccinations. "The public conversation has revolved around giving the stick to those who do not vaccinate, but we should also give the carrot to those who do," argued Mr. Klietsch.
"If it seems absurd that taxpayers should reward the vaccine hold-outs for having waited as long as they did, consider the alternative: even more tax dollars being spent for avoidable COVID-19 hospitalizations or for further economic lockdowns.," concluded Mr. Klietsch.
"If we need to bribe many Canadians to stop putting access to our limited hospital beds at risk from COVD-19 infection spread, so be it. We need more needles in arms now, not later."
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