(BEN BULMER / iNFOnews.ca)

The majority of Canadians would like to see a public inquiry into the way various levels of government handled the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to a poll from Research Co., 66 per cent of Canadians support holding a public inquiry into the way the COVID-19 pandemic was managed by the federal government.

That number drops slightly when it comes to the provincial government, with 64 per cent of Canadians wanting an inquiry into the way their province handled the pandemic.

While no public inquiry is as yet in the works there have been calls from some for different levels of government to hold public inquiries.

Recently the Quebec government voted not to hold a public inquiry into the deaths of thousands of seniors in care that died during the first wave of the COVID pandemic.

Last December, the U.K. government announced it would hold an independent inquiry into how it had managed the pandemic. The inquiry is set to cover how prepared the government was, its public health response, the response in the health care sector and the economic response.

In Canada, support for a public inquiry varies from province to province.

"More than two-thirds of residents of Saskatchewan and Manitoba (70 per cent) and Ontario (68 per cent) are in favour of holding a public inquiry into how their provincial governments managed the pandemic," Research Co. president Mario Canseco said in a media release. "Support is slightly lower in Quebec (64 per cent), British Columbia (61 per cent), Alberta (also 61 per cent) and Atlantic Canada (59 per cent)."

According to the poll, B.C. along with Ontario has the highest level of satisfaction with how well the government has dealt with the pandemic at 61 per cent.

"Canadians who voted for the Liberal Party in the 2021 federal election are more likely to endorse the call for a public inquiry into Ottawa’s pandemic management (77 per cent) than those who voted for the Conservative Party (67 per cent) and the New Democratic Party (66 per cent).

While 62 per cent of Canadians believe the worst of the pandemic is behind us, 82 per cent say that COVID-19 is a real threat.

The poll found that 56 per cent of Canadians acknowledge feeling "very anxious" or "moderately anxious" about the end of COVID-19 restrictions. The number is up four per cent points since a similar Research Co. survey was conducted in March.

The survey found 60 per cent plan to wear a mask when entering an indoor premise in the next two weeks, while 45 per cent said they will do so every time they leave home.

The survey also found that only one in four Canadians were planning to attend the theatre or cinema, and only one in 10 were planning to go to a live sporting event or concert.

Only 13 per cent of Canadians were currently willing to travel by plane. 

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