Essay Question: Should citizens who refuse to get vaccinated have the same rights and freedoms as those who do get vaccinated?
2nd Place
Written by: Name withheld on request
On August 15th, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called for a snap election, leaving Canadians only five weeks to prepare for the polls. Many questioned this sudden decision, some even suggesting that it was made to gain political power1. Regardless, it came as no surprise that COVID-19 vaccination was in fact the main issue on the campaign trail. In no time, the question of whether or not citizens who refuse to get vaccinated should have the same rights and freedoms as those who do get vaccinated had erupted into a heated debate. It is even fair to say that this issue has divided Canadian citizens into two camps—one arguing for so-called “public needs,” the other “private rights.”