A majority of Canadians say they’re still in support of another lockdown to stop the spread of the Omicron COVID-19 variant, a new poll has found.
But despite more than 55 per cent of Canadians showing such support for renewed public health measures, the poll’s results — done by Ipsos exclusively for Global News — also show that the same support is dwindling.
Previous polling done by Ipsos showed that in July 2021, nearly seven out of 10 Canadians said they would support more lockdown measures amid a fourth wave of the pandemic, which dropped to 63 per cent in September and now sits at just 56 per cent as an Omicron-driven wave begins to rise across the country.
Darrell Bricker, CEO of Ipsos Public Affairs, said that the dwindling number may be reflective of Canadians feeling not only frustrated over the repeated lockdowns, but also questioning if this is the right thing to be doing given the high vaccination rates Canada has.
Bricker said he’s noticed two things changing in public opinion that could also point to the lessening support they are now showing for lockdowns — people are less “overwhelmingly concerned” about COVID-19 than they previously were and that there’s more space opening up for the government to tackle other issues and concerns.
“We’re certainly seeing that in our polling, but also given the fact that we’ve had such an increase in vaccinations, I’m wondering if people think that they’re more protected maybe than they might actually be,” he said.
The new polling comes as public health units across the country brace for what looks to be a fifth wave of COVID-19, driven by the spread of the highly-transmissible Omicron variant.
Since first being identified in South Africa, Omicron has spread to over 77 countries, including Canada, according to the WHO.
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The health agency said that the variant poses a “very high” risk to derailing the world’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, and that it was likely to be found in more countries
While preliminary data points to the variant — riddled with dozens of mutations — being much more transmissible, it also suggests that it isn’t any more deadly than the dominant strains of COVID-19, like the Delta variant.
Early data also suggests that the variant does not seem to affect the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines, and that the shots still provide protection against severe outcomes like death and hospitalization.
That transmissibility, though, has researchers concerned worldwide, as well as in Canada, where public health officials projected that Omicron — should it replace Delta — could be the dominant strain in the country and that daily infections could skyrocket to over 26,000 a day by mid-January.
However, Bricker says that should cases of the variant rise, Canadians’ opinions on the lockdowns may rise over time.
“So I think over the space of the next couple of weeks, because this thing seems to be moving pretty quickly, we’ll either see that number stabilize at this level or if it goes anywhere, it’ll probably go up,” he said.
“It’s something we’re going to have to watch over time.”
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The poll’s results also differ from region to region, with support for lockdowns highest in Quebec and British Columbia, and lowest in Ontario and Alberta.
Furthermore, the poll also found that Canadians believe that Omicron would ultimately delay the country’s return to normal, with over 80 per cent of Canadians agreeing.
When it came to travel, eight out of 10 said they would cancel their travel plans should COVID-19 get any worse, though over 35 per cent said they were set on travelling next year despite fluctuating case counts.
“It shows that people do realize that there’s an effect that’s coming into Canada as a result of Omicron, that we’re into a new phase of whatever we’re dealing with, and as a result, they should be adjusting their behaviour accordingly,” Bricker said.
Bricker said maybe we’re now seeing a situation in which people are not as supportive of lockdowns as they used to be — “but maybe travelling — that’s still out of bounds.”
However, despite the diminishing support towards lockdowns, Canadians seem to approve of public health officials and their directives. According to the poll, public health officials were found to have seriously outperformed political leaders with their responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Canada’s chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam’s approval rating when it came to handling the pandemic stood at 64 per cent, while Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s sat at 49 per cent in comparison. Canadian premiers had also averaged at around 57 per cent approval for their handling of the situation.
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Bricker says that we’re seeing an evolution in polling as more Canadians develop a nuanced view of the pandemic and public health restrictions, and that we should be preparing for a more diverse opinions as the pandemic progresses.
“We’re learning to, to a certain extent, live with it there,” he said.
“Their decisions are more complicated. It’s not just a light switch flipping on or off, it’s more like a dimmer,” Bricker added. “It kind of goes up or down based on the circumstances or based on based on the particular things that are happening in communities.”
— with files from Global News’ Rachel Gilmore, Ahmar Khan and Aaron D’Andrea
Exclusive Global News Ipsos polls are protected by copyright. The information and/or data may only be rebroadcast or republished with full and proper credit and attribution to “Global News Ipsos.” This poll was conducted between Dec. 10 and 15, 2021, with a sample of 1,001 Canadians aged 18-plus interviewed online. The precision of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. This poll is accurate to within ± 3.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, had all Canadians aged 18-plus been polled.
OTTAWA – The New Democrats confirmed Thursday they won’t help Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives topple the government next week, and intend to join the Bloc Québécois in blocking the Tories’ non-confidence motion.
The planned votes from the Bloc and the New Democrats eliminate the possibility of a snap election, buying the Liberals more time to govern after a raucous start to the fall sitting of Parliament.
Poilievre issued a challenge to NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh earlier this week when he announced he will put forward a motion that simply states that the House has no confidence in the government or the prime minister.
If it were to pass, it would likely mean Canadians would be heading to the polls, but Singh said Thursday he’s not going to let Poilievre tell him what to do.
Voting against the Conservative motion doesn’t mean the NDP support the Liberals, said Singh, who pulled out of his political pact with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau a few weeks ago.
“I stand by my words, Trudeau has let you down,” Singh said in the foyer outside of the House of Commons Thursday.
“Trudeau has let you down and does not deserve another chance.”
Canadians will have to make that choice at the ballot box, Singh said, but he will make a decision about whether to help trigger that election on a vote-by-vote basis in the House.
The Conservatives mocked the NDP during Question Period for saying they had “ripped up” the deal to support the Liberals, despite plans to vote to keep them in power.
Poilievre accused Singh of pretending to pull out of the deal to sway voters in a federal byelection in Winnipeg, where the NDP was defending its long-held seat against the Conservatives.
“Once the votes were counted, he betrayed them again. He’s a fake, a phoney and fraud. How can anyone ever believe what the sellout NDP leader says in the future?” Poilievre said during Question Period Thursday afternoon.
At some point after those comments, Singh stepped out from behind his desk in the House and a two-minute shouting match ensued between the two leaders and their MPs before the Speaker intervened.
Outside the House, Poilievre said he plans to put forward another non-confidence motion at the next opportunity.
“We want a carbon-tax election as soon as possible, so that we can axe Trudeau’s tax before he quadruples it to 61 cents a litre,” he said.
Liberal House leader Karina Gould says there is much work the government still needs to do, and that Singh has realized the consequences of potentially bringing down the government. She refused to take questions about whether her government will negotiate with opposition parties to ensure their support in future confidence motions.
Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet hasn’t ruled out voting no-confidence in the government the next time a motion is tabled.
“I never support Liberals. Help me God, I go against the Conservatives on a vote that is only about Pierre Poilievre and his huge ambition for himself,” Blanchet said Thursday.
“I support the interests of Quebecers, if those interests are also good for Canadians.”
A Bloc bill to increase pension cheques for seniors aged 65 to 74 is now at “the very centre of the survival of this government,” he said.
The Bloc needs a recommendation from a government minister to OK the cost and get the bill through the House.
The Bloc also wants to see more protections for supply management in the food sector in Canada and Quebec.
If the Liberals can’t deliver on those two things, they will fall, Blanchet said.
“This is what we call power,” he said.
Treasury Board President Anita Anand wouldn’t say whether the government would be willing to swallow the financial implications of the Bloc’s demands.
“We are focused at Treasury Board on ensuring prudent fiscal management,” she said Thursday.
“And at this time, our immediate focus is implementing the measures in budget 2024 that were announced earlier this year.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
OTTAWA – Treasury Board President Anita Anand has been sworn in as federal transport minister at a ceremony at Rideau Hall, taking over a portfolio left vacant after Pablo Rodriguez resigned from cabinet and the Liberal caucus on Thursday.
Anand thanked Rodriguez for his contributions to the government and the country, saying she’s grateful for his guidance and friendship.
She sidestepped a question about the message it sends to have him leave the federal Liberal fold.
“That is a decision that he made independently, and I wish him well,” she said.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was not present for the swearing-in ceremony, nor were any other members of the Liberal government.
The shakeup in cabinet comes just days after the Liberals lost a key seat in a Montreal byelection to the Bloc Québécois and amid renewed calls for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to step down and make way for a new leader.
Anand said she is not actively seeking leadership of the party, saying she is focused on her roles as minister and as MP.
“My view is that we are a team, and we are a team that has to keep delivering for our country,” she said.
The minority Liberal government is in a more challenging position in the House of Commons after the NDP ended a supply-and-confidence deal that provided parliamentary stability for more than two years.
Non-confidence votes are guaranteed to come from the Opposition Conservatives, who are eager to bring the government down.
On Thursday morning, Rodriguez made a symbolic walk over the Alexandra Bridge from Parliament Hill to Gatineau, Que., where he formally announced his plans to run for the Quebec Liberal party leadership.
He said he will now sit as an Independent member of Parliament, which will allow him to focus on his own priorities.
“I was defending the priorities of the government, and I did it in a very loyal way,” he said.
“It’s normal and it’s what I had to do. But now it’s more about my vision, the vision of the team that I’m building.”
Rodriguez said he will stay on as an MP until the Quebec Liberal leadership campaign officially launches in January.
He said that will “avoid a costly byelection a few weeks, or months, before a general election.”
The next federal election must be held by October 2025.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said he will try to topple the government sooner than that, beginning with a non-confidence motion that is set to be debated Sept. 24 and voted on Sept. 25.
Poilievre has called on the NDP and the Bloc Québécois to support him, but both Jagmeet Singh and Yves-François Blanchet have said they will not support the Conservatives.
Rodriguez said he doesn’t want a federal election right away and will vote against the non-confidence motion.
As for how he would vote on other matters before the House of Commons, “it would depend on the votes.”
Public Services and Procurement Minister Jean-Yves Duclos will become the government’s new Quebec lieutenant, a non-cabinet role Rodriguez held since 2019.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
— With files from Nojoud Al Mallees and Dylan Robertson
