As COVID-19 case numbers climb across the country, a new poll indicates Canadians are less satisfied with the way their governments are handling the pandemic.
A new poll released Thursday by the non-partisan Angus Reid Institute shows that overall, an average of just 58 per cent of Canadians are happy with the way their provincial governments are handling the pandemic, down sharply from an average of 80 per cent in June.
In Ontario, 1,049 respondents were asked whether they think the province is doing a good job or a poor job in handling the COVID-19 response.
The poll found that 55 per cent of Ontarians think the province is doing a good job while 44 per cent think the province is doing a poor job.
Approval ratings for the provincial response were lower only in Manitoba (31 per cent) and Alberta (41 per cent).
The highest approval ratings were in the Atlantic provinces, with 93 per cent approval in Newfoundland and 81 per cent approval in Nova Scotia.
In neighbouring Quebec, which has also been hard-hit by the pandemic, 62 per cent of respondents approved of the provincial government’s handling. Out west in B.C., 68 per cent of respondents said their government is doing a good job.
Back in June, 81 per cent of respondents in Ontario said the Ford government was doing a good job of handling the crisis. Since then, case numbers have skyrocketed to new record highs and long-term care homes are once again facing increased outbreaks and deaths in a second wave of the virus.
Even with lockdowns in place in Toronto and Peel Region and tougher restrictions in place in other parts of the province, case numbers and hospitalizations continue to rise.
The poll found that Premier Doug Ford and Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. David Williams have similar support in terms of their handling of the pandemic (56 per cent and 55 per cent, respectively).
Angus Reid also asked respondents which issue they feel is the top issue in their province. In Ontario, 52 per cent said the COVID-19 crisis is the top issue while 42 per cent cited healthcare and 31 per cent said it’s the economy.
Asked who they plan to vote for in the next provincial election, 42 per cent said they would vote to re-elect Ford’s Progressive Conservative Party, while 28 per cent said they would vote NDP; 22 per cent said they would vote Liberal; and five per cent said they would vote Green.
The poll was conducted prior to Wednesday's announcement that Health Canada has approved the new Pfizer vaccine for use and that vaccinations will begin as early as next week in Canada.
It was previously thought that vaccinations might only begin sometime in early 2021. It's not clear what impact the news might have on Canadians’ perception of the crisis and its handling.
The online survey of 5,003 Canadians was conducted from Nov. 24 - 30. Margins of error are not calculated for online surveys. However according to Angus Reid, a comparable sample size would have a margin of error of plus or minus 1.4 percentage points nine times out of 20.
