By Kenny in Editorial — 09 Jan 2026

Canadian Vaccine Rhetoric

Leveraging Exigence to Maximize Persuasion

My editorial is back for 2026! I am ringing in the new year with the hot topic of health rhetoric. This paper is recycled from a class I really loved, taught by none other than my next Social Sleuth guest [stay tuned for episode 12, dropping January 17th]

Until then, give this a read and let me know what you think.

Preface

Rhetorical Exigence = The problem that evokes conversation and can be solved via discourse.

ThoughtCo gives a great breakdown of this concept shall you desire it & Dr. Loren Gaudet centres the concept within the health & medicine space in her article: “Health awareness as genre: the exigence of preparedness in cancer awareness campaigns and critical-illness insurance marketing”

Now let’s get into it.

Leveraging Exigence to Maximize Persuasion

In an effort to flatten the curve and say goodbye to the pandemic, Immunize Canada has become creative in their marketing campaigns, offering representation of a variety of Canadians, young and old, able-bodied and disabled, rural and urban – casting a narrative that COVID-19 vaccines are for everyone and the virus itself is indiscriminate. Beyond the visual rhetoric employed by Immunize Canada to engage a dynamic range of Canadians through diverse representation, there is a large portion of materials aimed at childhood COVID-19 vaccination. Several child-oriented campaign materials targeting youth aged 6 months to 5 years focused on risk stand out. While this paper does not seek to argue against COVID-19 vaccination in general it does seek to highlight the challenging area of ethically persuading parents or minors to take medical action within a government-framed emergency. In this paper, I argue that Immunize Canada uses the rhetorical exigence of COVID-19 risk to persuade caregivers to vaccinate their young children. Immunize Canada strengthens this persuasion using their credibility, evoking emotion, and playing into established scientism to drive home importance. This is significant because it misrepresents the risks of COVID-19 for young children while overselling individual COVID-19 vaccination benefits for the cohort. This contributes to a larger and troubling discourse surrounding government intervention in parental activities that are not in action harmful but positioned as such, begging the question as to where the line between parental and state jurisdiction over children’s bodies lay.

When analyzing just one of the many media materials about childhood vaccination from Immunize Canada, the use of the rhetorical exigence of childhood COVID-19 risk in persuading caregivers to vaccinate their children is made clear. Exigence within the frame of rhetorical theory encapsulates the problem to be overcome (Gaudet, 2024). In this case of persuasion through means of rhetorical exigences, the problem, of childhood COVID-19 risk can be alleviated via discourse, contrasting the non-rhetorical exigence of COVID-19 infection, which cannot be rectified through discourse. The selected media material, entitled “Lower your little one’s risk of COVID-19” exhibits the use of rhetorical exigence. The implicit argument of this statement is that children have a COVID-19 risk that is of concern and needs to be reduced. When there is literature to suggest that while children can catch the novel virus they do not face severe outcomes like other cohorts (Hause et al., 2022). Along with unfolding rollbacks of childhood COVID-19 vaccines abroad, the true risk of COVID-19 and vaccination of young children becomes contentious (The Associated Press, 2022). This same literature does not suggest against vaccinating children for COVID-19 but rather highlights how COVID-19 vaccination of children, specifically young children does not result in their sole benefit as their risk is relatively low. Rather benefit of such practices comes from greater community effects such as greater population vaccination rates (Assadi et al., 2023). Certainly, community protection against COVID-19 through means of high rates of vaccination is positive, yet that is not how caregivers are being motivated to vaccinate their children. Perhaps the stress of personal risk is being employed due to the less effective nature of persuading caregivers through means of community well-being and protecting other groups.

Additionally, Immunize Canada draws strength to the exigence of risk in childhood COVID-19 vaccination promotion, using other rhetorical tools of persuasion such as the appeal of their credibility, appeal to emotion and scientism. With a national stamp of approval, these ads speak for themselves for a lot of audiences. There is a high credibility for our national healthcare system despite its shortcomings, the Canada logo is part of the rhetorical framing of credibility. Moreso, Immunize Canada appeals to their audience of caregivers’ emotions. “Little One’s” is a friendly and caring voice offering a solution to your small children’s risk of COVID-19. Additionally, the use of bolded and coloured “Protect.” – elicits the question as to what kind of person would not protect a child. Lastly, Immunize Canada through the use of “It’s safe and effective”, “Trust.” and “#VaccinesWork” use scientism to establish the right choice and persuade childhood vaccination through a lens of risk reduction. This is both an effective use of rhetoric as scientific processes have proven to increase life expectancy and representative of how Canadian culture has come to value science in decision-making processes. However, these slogans prey on the trust and validity people have in scientific findings, the vaccines are safe and effective except for the rare times they are not – which remains an unrepresented number despite various other statistical references promoting efficacy.

To conclude, Immunize Canada’s “Lower your little one’s risk of COVID-19” promotional material effectively employs the rhetorical exigence of Childhood COVID-19 risk to persuade caregivers to vaccinate their children. Specifically, this ad calls to action an audience that is ready to take public health direction. By using their credibility, evoking emotion, and playing into established scientism to drive home importance, Immunize Canada can capture a larger audience of vaccine adopters and those hesitant. Still, despite lengthy campaigns, anti-vaxxers remain largely uncaptivated by vaccine promotions and more formal regulation would be needed for organic adoption. The criticism of this use of rhetoric is not at the intent of Immunize Canada but rather the lack of transparency in the reasoning for childhood COVID-19 vaccine advocacy. By leveraging one relatively less significant aspect of childhood COVID-19 vaccination, personal risk, Immunize Canada can maximize the persuasion of caregivers – yet this comes at the expense of not providing complete context for caregivers to make informed choices about health interventions for their young children. The argument for collective public health action is compelling, but it should not be carried out behind alternative discourse. Transparency in vaccination motivations should be public – caregivers deserve to make their own risk assessment for their children with all of the facts. Without clear and complete understanding the agency to make thoughtful choices for children is stripped from caregivers – curiosity is stifled because #VaccinesWork.

Social Sleuth Diaries 2

making meaning w/ Loren Gaudet

Preface

Leveraging Exigence to Maximize Persuasion

Social Sleuth Diaries 2

making meaning w/ Loren Gaudet

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