A northwestern B.C. MLA says results of an opinion poll confirm his argument that the provincial government should hire back health care workers who did not get vaccinated against COVID-19.

John Rustad, who represents the Nechako Lakes riding for the Conservative Party of B.C., said a clear majority of 1,500 British Columbians contacted by phone over the Family Day long weekend back his position.

鈥淚n the areas we surveyed, support for hiring back health care workers ranged from 88-93 per cent,鈥� said Rustad.

The polling was conducted everywhere except the lower mainland of people who had land lines and those who answered the phone were asked to answer 鈥榶es鈥� or 鈥榥o鈥� if they agreed with Rustad.

鈥淭he uptake on this is fairly high, I鈥檓 told, for a robocall poll.鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 time we support our health care heroes,鈥� said Rustad in backing the call to end the provincial vaccine mandate pertaining to the health care system.

鈥淎t a time when we need every health care worker we have, there are health care workers sitting at home or leaving the province.

鈥淓very other province in Canada has lifted the [vaccine] mandate except B.C. What鈥檚 the reason? Is it ideological? I just don鈥檛 think people should lose their jobs because they made a choice.鈥�

Rustad said health care workers should be given a choice and that they can manage their work environments so as not to affect others.

The poll took place the same month Rustad ended his independent status and joined the Conservative Party of B.C.

Rustad had been a long time B.C. Liberal but he was ousted by that party鈥檚 leader, Kevin Falcon, last year for questioning climate change science.

He said his position on vaccine mandates meshes perfectly with that of his new party affiliation.

鈥淚鈥檝e said that it鈥檚 time to do politics differently in this province. MLAs should work to represent the interests of their ridings and not represent their party鈥檚 positions,鈥� Rustad said.

The MLA is also gathering signatures on a petition to have the provincial government repeal Bill 36, an act Rustad says gives too much authority to the province in governing health care.

A first petition of 10,000 signatures was delivered to the provincial legislature before Rustad joined the B.C. Conservatives and he鈥檚 planning to file a final one March 23.

The petition is being channeled through the Canadian Society for Science and Ethics in Medicine.

Because it is a petition being filed in the legislature it cannot by electronically signed, Rustad said.

Polling information supplied by Rustad states the margin of error was plus or minus 3.5 per cent, 19 times out of 20. The poll used an interactive voice response system which is an automated telephone system that engages callers, allowing them to provide and access information without a live agent.

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