Canadians are angry about delays in the coronavirus vaccine rollout – and it’s starting to hurt the Liberals in the polls, according to fresh figures from Ipsos.
A new poll from Ipsos found that 71 per cent of Canadians are “angry” that Canada is falling behind countries like the U.S. and the U.K. when it comes to the pace of our COVID-19 vaccine rollout. On top of that, just 43 per cent believe Canada will meet Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s professed timeline of having a jab available for every Canadian who wants one by September.
1:17 Coronavirus: Early data shows COVID-19 vaccine having impact on hospitalizations, death rates in Canada
Coronavirus: Early data shows COVID-19 vaccine having impact on hospitalizations, death rates in Canada
This frustration is bearing out in the polls, where the Liberal lead over the Conservatives has narrowed to just three points, according to a new Ipsos poll.
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“The Liberals and Conservatives, for all intents and purposes, are tied right now. So the Liberals have a slight lead,” Darrell Bricker, CEO of Ipsos, said in an interview with Global News.
“This is directly attributable to people’s concerns about vaccines. So the vaccine issue, instead of being a positive for the government – as I think a lot of people anticipated that it would be – has turned into a negative.”
Bricker added that this negative perception of the vaccine rollout is being driven by the government not living up to Canadians’ initial expectations of when they’d be vaccinated.
“They can’t get enough supply to meet overwhelming demand,” Bricker said.
2:05 Winter storm in U.S. interrupts Canada’s COVID-19 vaccine supply
Winter storm in U.S. interrupts Canada’s COVID-19 vaccine supply
The government was forced to reckon with delays in its supply of both the approved vaccines, from Pfizer and Moderna, in early February. While Pfizer has since ramped up production and both manufacturers insist they’re on track to meet delivery deadlines, Canadians burned by the news of delays have started viewing vaccine rollout promises with skepticism.
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“They’re skeptical right at the moment about any promises that are being made about vaccines – how many and when. They’re just not really believing a lot of it right now,” Bricker said.
This skepticism is complemented by disappointment in the vaccine rollout.
“In fact, there’s only about six per cent say that (the vaccine rollout is) actually exceeding their expectations. Most people, actually a plurality of people, about 44 per cent, are actually saying that it’s not living up to their expectations and it’s going worse than they expected,” Bricker said.
“And by the way, their expectations were not that high to begin with.”
2:33 Trudeau: Canada’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout timeline still on track
Trudeau: Canada’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout timeline still on track
All of this has created a “volatile situation” when it comes to vaccines, Bricker said. A key driver of the issue is the fact that Canadians can see the news of rapid vaccination progress in other countries around the world, which puts even more pressure on the government to deliver.
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“Canada is not hermetically sealed when it comes to news. So people are seeing what’s happening in other places,” Bricker said.
“The government set those expectations, but even meeting them would not necessarily be seen as a positive performance because other things are happening in other places that are suggesting the timeline should be shorter.”
Meanwhile, the prime minister’s approval rating has even taken a hit as a result of vaccine rollout troubles. Trudeau’s approval rating has slipped by six points, with 54 per cent saying they either approve “strongly” or “somewhat” of his overall response to the pandemic.
This is “directly attributable” to what’s been happening with the vaccine rollout, Bricker said.
2:36 Growing fears new variants could lead to third wave
Growing fears new variants could lead to third wave
However, it’s not all bad news for Trudeau’s team – even if these latest polling figures make the possibility of forming a majority government in any springtime election a distant daydream.
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“Fifty per cent for any prime minister at any time is actually a really good performance level. I mean, going into the last election campaign, Justin Trudeau was tracking in the high 30s and low 40s. So his numbers in terms of approval are actually reasonably good,” Bricker said.
Still, the latest batch of polling makes it “very unlikely” that the Liberals are thinking of triggering an election any time soon, according to Bricker.
“The only thing that makes it worthwhile is if they win a majority,” Bricker said.
“The performance numbers that our polling is really pointing out shows that it would be very risky for them to be contemplating an election campaign in the near term.”
2:26 U.K. moves to next phase of rollout
U.K. moves to next phase of rollout
And any shot the Liberals have of securing the electoral support to win a majority in a future election hinges on the next few months of vaccine rollout, he added.
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“The election was always going to be contingent on us getting through this pandemic,” Bricker said.
“And the longer that this goes on… the more it becomes focused on the area that is the principal responsibility at the moment for the federal government, which is obtaining vaccines.”
0:28 Coronavirus: Canada’s vaccine rollout back on track after reduced deliveries, feds say
Coronavirus: Canada’s vaccine rollout back on track after reduced deliveries, feds say
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 February 8-10, 2021, with a sample of 1,000 Canadians aged 18+ 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+ been polled
VANCOUVER – Contract negotiations resume today in Vancouver in a labour dispute that has paralyzed container cargo shipping at British Columbia’s ports since Monday.
The BC Maritime Employers Association and International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 are scheduled to meet for the next three days in mediated talks to try to break a deadlock in negotiations.
The union, which represents more than 700 longshore supervisors at ports, including Vancouver, Prince Rupert and Nanaimo, has been without a contract since March last year.
The latest talks come after employers locked out workers in response to what it said was “strike activity” by union members.
The start of the lockout was then followed by several days of no engagement between the two parties, prompting federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon to speak with leaders on both sides, asking them to restart talks.
MacKinnon had said that the talks were “progressing at an insufficient pace, indicating a concerning absence of urgency from the parties involved” — a sentiment echoed by several business groups across Canada.
In a joint letter, more than 100 organizations, including the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Business Council of Canada and associations representing industries from automotive and fertilizer to retail and mining, urged the government to do whatever it takes to end the work stoppage.
“While we acknowledge efforts to continue with mediation, parties have not been able to come to a negotiated agreement,” the letter says. “So, the federal government must take decisive action, using every tool at its disposal to resolve this dispute and limit the damage caused by this disruption.
“We simply cannot afford to once again put Canadian businesses at risk, which in turn puts Canadian livelihoods at risk.”
In the meantime, the union says it has filed a complaint to the Canada Industrial Relations Board against the employers, alleging the association threatened to pull existing conditions out of the last contract in direct contact with its members.
“The BCMEA is trying to undermine the union by attempting to turn members against its democratically elected leadership and bargaining committee — despite the fact that the BCMEA knows full well we received a 96 per cent mandate to take job action if needed,” union president Frank Morena said in a statement.
The employers have responded by calling the complaint “another meritless claim,” adding the final offer to the union that includes a 19.2 per cent wage increase over a four-year term remains on the table.
“The final offer has been on the table for over a week and represents a fair and balanced proposal for employees, and if accepted would end this dispute,” the employers’ statement says. “The offer does not require any concessions from the union.”
The union says the offer does not address the key issue of staffing requirement at the terminals as the port introduces more automation to cargo loading and unloading, which could potentially require fewer workers to operate than older systems.
The Port of Vancouver is the largest in Canada and has seen a number of labour disruptions, including two instances involving the rail and grain storage sectors earlier this year.
A 13-day strike by another group of workers at the port last year resulted in the disruption of a significant amount of shipping and trade.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.
The Royal Canadian Legion says a new partnership with e-commerce giant Amazon is helping boost its veterans’ fund, and will hopefully expand its donor base in the digital world.
Since the Oct. 25 launch of its Amazon.ca storefront, the legion says it has received nearly 10,000 orders for poppies.
Online shoppers can order lapel poppies on Amazon in exchange for donations or buy items such as “We Remember” lawn signs, Remembrance Day pins and other accessories, with all proceeds going to the legion’s Poppy Trust Fund for Canadian veterans and their families.
Nujma Bond, the legion’s national spokesperson, said the organization sees this move as keeping up with modern purchasing habits.
“As the world around us evolves we have been looking at different ways to distribute poppies and to make it easier for people to access them,” she said in an interview.
“This is definitely a way to reach a wider number of Canadians of all ages. And certainly younger Canadians are much more active on the web, on social media in general, so we’re also engaging in that way.”
Al Plume, a member of a legion branch in Trenton, Ont., said the online store can also help with outreach to veterans who are far from home.
“For veterans that are overseas and are away, (or) can’t get to a store they can order them online, it’s Amazon.” Plume said.
Plume spent 35 years in the military with the Royal Engineers, and retired eight years ago. He said making sure veterans are looked after is his passion.
“I’ve seen the struggles that our veterans have had with Veterans Affairs … and that’s why I got involved, with making sure that the people get to them and help the veterans with their paperwork.”
But the message about the Amazon storefront didn’t appear to reach all of the legion’s locations, with volunteers at Branch 179 on Vancouver’s Commercial Drive saying they hadn’t heard about the online push.
Holly Paddon, the branch’s poppy campaign co-ordinator and bartender, said the Amazon partnership never came up in meetings with other legion volunteers and officials.
“I work at the legion, I work with the Vancouver poppy office and I go to the meetings for the Vancouver poppy campaign — which includes all the legions in Vancouver — and not once has this been mentioned,” she said.
Paddon said the initiative is a great idea, but she would like to have known more about it.
The legion also sells a larger collection of items at poppystore.ca.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.
