Authors
Erika Dyck, Jim Clifford, Derek Cameron, Patrick Chassé, Fionnuala Braun, Nazeem Muhajarine
Published in
Canadian journal of health history = Revue canadienne d'histoire de la sante. Volume 43. Issue 1. Pages 157-187. Epub Oct 20, 2026.
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic in Saskatchewan is a story of extremes. Through most of 2020, low case numbers, effective policy, and broad agreement among government officials, health care workers, and the public sustained a consensus that strict measures and vaccination offered the best responses; however, that consensus collapsed. The province shifted from a focal point for Canadian vaccine development to a staging ground for an anti-vaccine movement that took root on social media and then in street protests. Premier Scott Moe moved from a pro-vaccine, pro-consensus stance to a confrontational position questioning federal policies, public health measures, and vaccines. Combining traditional news sources, social media, and interviews with residents and VIDO-InterVac researchers, we track this shift. We argue that the pandemic fostered unmoderated social media discourse that overwhelmed collective responses, shaped health policies, and politicized vaccines as pro-government. Influencers inflated the movement's threat and aligned vaccine uptake to trust in science, with significant political consequences.
PMID:
42900833
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 21 Oct 2026.
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