Premier John Horgan in Kamloops in 2017.
Image Credit: FILE PHOTO
June 10, 2020 - 5:30 PM
Navigating the pandemic seems to have earned governing provincial parties some serious support across Canada, a new study from the Angus Reid Institute says.
In Ontario, B.C., and Quebec, the respective parties of Ontario's premier Doug Ford, B.C.'s premier John Horgan and Quebec's premier Francois Legault now each enjoy more than a 15-point lead over their rivals.
Support seems related to the handling of COVID-19, with at least seven-in-ten residents in every region saying their province has done a good job.
Top of the pack are provincial governments in New Brunswick, which had 91 per cent support on this front, Newfoundland and Labrador had 89 per cent support and B.C. had 87 per cent for their responses to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Whether the goodwill can be sustained remains to be seen. As attention shifts to reopening and restoring economies across the country – Canada’s economy added 290,000 jobs in May – many feel it is happening too quickly.
In Ontario, 45 per cent of residents say this, the most in any region of the country. Those in Alberta and Newfoundland and Labrador are most likely to say their respective provinces are moving too slowly to re-open businesses and institutions, while 31 per cent in B.C. say it's too fast.
The economy is also an issue.
In Alberta, just 43 per cent of residents say the United Conservative Party has done a good job of handling the economy. In Newfoundland and Labrador that number drops to just 32 per cent in assessing Dwight Ball’s governing Liberal Party.
In B.C. 59 per cent say the government has done a generally good job with the economy.
And while it has dropped down the list of priorities during the pandemic, climate change remains a top issue – one over which few provincial governments appear to be hitting the mark. Just 43 per cent of Canadians say their provincial government has handled climate and environmental issues well, dropping to just 35 per cent in Ontario.
Just over one-in-three Canadians (36 per cent) feel their province is acting too quickly to open up businesses and institutions that were shut down to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. This sentiment rises to 45 per cent in Ontario.
Half of Canadians (53 per cent) say their province is doing a good job on health care, but just one-in-three (33 per cent) say this when it comes to the seniors file.
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