It’s been six years since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. This announcement rallied Canadians to adhere to stringent public health guidelines to prevent the transmission of disease. As the nation comes to grips with its experience from the pandemic… According to a new Ipsos poll, 53 per cent of Canadians think the actions were justified.
Public support for public health interventions differs among the provinces. Of those respondents, 55% of Ontarians said they were confident in their province’s response. In Manitoba and Saskatchewan, the number was 57%, and in Alberta that figure was 59%. British Columbia is particularly remarkable here, with 69% of residents reporting that their provincial action plan is succeeding. In sharp contrast, Alberta’s support is much lower, with just 46% calling their province’s approach successful.
The federal government’s approach to the pandemic receives a more divided assessment. More than 70% of Canadians rated the federal government’s performance a success. By comparison, just over a third (34%) approve of the official opposition’s work. Municipal governments do a bit better, with 55% of Canadians agreeing that their municipal government did a good job managing local responses to the pandemic.
It is very apparent that Canadians are craving accountability and transparency. In fact, 62% of them want a public inquiry into the federal government’s pandemic response. Likewise, 61% want more of an investigation that looks into provincial governments. This joint call for criminal investigation mirrors international developments. Indeed, as one example, the British government is currently holding its own inquiry into preparedness for and response to the pandemic after having been roundly criticized for a delayed lockdown that contributed to a tragic loss of life.
It seems clear as day that party identification is shaping how people judge whether the pandemic is real or not. Fewer than one in five Conservative party voters view it as a bad faith lie. This is in sharp contrast to only 5% of Liberal voters and a mere 3% of NDP voters who agree.
Further, many Canadians understand how important the media has been to informing the public about the pandemic. Similarly, at least half of Canadians surveyed feel that media outlets in Canada were successful in addressing issues related to the pandemic. Specifically, 56% praise television news, 55% praise radio news, and 50% praise newspapers for their reporting.
