Canadians hid their vaccination status when questioned by federal pollsters, says an in-house Privy Council Office memo. Researchers cited the “social desirability” of claiming to fully comply with public health orders at a time when unvaccinated people were denied access to public services and threatened with job losses.

The March 2022 Privy Council memo was released through Access To Information. Federal pollsters found 68 percent of Canadians claimed to have received a booster shot when Department of Health figures showed the actual rate was 55 percent.