FALLS CHURCH, Va. — Enacting restrictions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus is more important than removing them to get the economy going, according to a majority of Virginia voters polled this month.
The poll conducted by Hampton University and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that 62% think the biggest priority for their community is to prevent the coronavirus from spreading, even if it hurts the economy, while 35% said removing restrictions to help the economy, even if more people get the virus, is the bigger priority.
John Bordeaux, 61, of Lorton, is among those who said controlling the virus is a greater priority. He said he’s worried that younger people are willing to risk prolonged potential exposure at bars and other indoor gathering places, just because statistics show that older people are more vulnerable.
“I don’t think we know enough to make that assessment,” particularly when it comes to how the virus is transmitted, said Bordeaux, a policy researcher.
Paul Gilbert said he’d rather see restrictions removed, if he had to choose, but that those two opposing choices don’t really reflect his thinking. More than anything, he said, he just wants the choices to be guided by science rather than politics, wherever that leads.
“If we don’t get out of this thing, there’s not going to be an economy to worry about,” said Gilbert, 42, a disabled veteran from Suffolk.
Like other states, Virginia has debated the degree to which the economy and society should be open as the pandemic stretches on, and the coronavirus response has been a key issue in the presidential campaign. In Virginia, the politics of that debate have featured frequent barbs from President Donald Trump directed at Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam.
In April, during some of the strictest coronavirus restrictions, Trump tweeted “LIBERATE VIRGINIA,” an apparent reference to both gun control measures and COVID-19 restrictions. While both Trump and Northam, a physician, contracted the coronavirus, Trump has pushed for a “return to normal” and mocked the use of masks to prevent the virus’s spread, while Northam has advocated masks and other measures to keep the virus in check.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, then, respondents’ views on the coronavirus reflect a partisan divide. About 9 in 10 Democrats emphasized the importance of using restrictions to stop the virus from spreading. About 7 in 10 Republicans emphasized the importance of removing virus restrictions to help the economy.
The poll shows that between September and October, the standing of Northam and other Democrats improved somewhat. Northam’s favourability rating is now 49%, up slightly from 42% of those responding to a Hampton University/AP-NORC poll last month.
The Democratic presidential ticket of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris showed similar improvements. Biden’s favourability rating ticked up slightly, from 47% to 52%, while positive ratings of Harris increased somewhat from 42% to 50%.
Positive views of Trump, meanwhile, remained roughly the same: 39% say they have a favourable opinion of the president, similar to 37% last month.
The poll also shows a significant shift in voting plans, with more people saying they plan to cast their ballot in person before Election Day. Voters have seen long lines at early polling places across the state in recent weeks.
In September, 54% said they would vote in person on Election Day, and 13% said they planned to vote early in person. The October poll showed just 39% planning to vote on Election Day, with another 31% planning to vote early in person.
Roughly 3 in 10 Virginia voters in both polls indicated plans to vote by mail.
The poll shows a deep divide between Republicans and Democrats about how they plan to vote, which might influence how returns come in on election night.
About 8 in 10 Democrats say they’re voting in advance of the election, including about 4 in 10 by mail and about another 4 in 10 early in person. By contrast, about two-thirds of Republicans say they will vote in person on Election Day.
About two-thirds of those who say they plan to vote on Election Day cite concerns over the counting of mail-in ballots as a major factor. Those planning to vote early in person cite a mix of factors, including concerns about counting mail-in ballots, the coronavirus and long lines on Election Day.
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The AP-NORC/Hampton University poll of 887 registered voters in Virginia was conducted Oct. 6-12 by mail, with the option for respondents to take the survey online or by phone. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 4.6 percentage points.
OTTAWA – Canada’s unemployment rate held steady at 6.5 per cent last month as hiring remained weak across the economy.
Statistics Canada’s labour force survey on Friday said employment rose by a modest 15,000 jobs in October.
Business, building and support services saw the largest gain in employment.
Meanwhile, finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing experienced the largest decline.
Many economists see weakness in the job market continuing in the short term, before the Bank of Canada’s interest rate cuts spark a rebound in economic growth next year.
Despite ongoing softness in the labour market, however, strong wage growth has raged on in Canada. Average hourly wages in October grew 4.9 per cent from a year ago, reaching $35.76.
Friday’s report also shed some light on the financial health of households.
According to the agency, 28.8 per cent of Canadians aged 15 or older were living in a household that had difficulty meeting financial needs – like food and housing – in the previous four weeks.
That was down from 33.1 per cent in October 2023 and 35.5 per cent in October 2022, but still above the 20.4 per cent figure recorded in October 2020.
People living in a rented home were more likely to report difficulty meeting financial needs, with nearly four in 10 reporting that was the case.
That compares with just under a quarter of those living in an owned home by a household member.
Immigrants were also more likely to report facing financial strain last month, with about four out of 10 immigrants who landed in the last year doing so.
That compares with about three in 10 more established immigrants and one in four of people born in Canada.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
The Canadian Institute for Health Information says health-care spending in Canada is projected to reach a new high in 2024.
The annual report released Thursday says total health spending is expected to hit $372 billion, or $9,054 per Canadian.
CIHI’s national analysis predicts expenditures will rise by 5.7 per cent in 2024, compared to 4.5 per cent in 2023 and 1.7 per cent in 2022.
This year’s health spending is estimated to represent 12.4 per cent of Canada’s gross domestic product. Excluding two years of the pandemic, it would be the highest ratio in the country’s history.
While it’s not unusual for health expenditures to outpace economic growth, the report says this could be the case for the next several years due to Canada’s growing population and its aging demographic.
Canada’s per capita spending on health care in 2022 was among the highest in the world, but still less than countries such as the United States and Sweden.
The report notes that the Canadian dental and pharmacare plans could push health-care spending even further as more people who previously couldn’t afford these services start using them.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.
Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.
As Canadians wake up to news that Donald Trump will return to the White House, the president-elect’s protectionist stance is casting a spotlight on what effect his second term will have on Canada-U.S. economic ties.
Some Canadian business leaders have expressed worry over Trump’s promise to introduce a universal 10 per cent tariff on all American imports.
A Canadian Chamber of Commerce report released last month suggested those tariffs would shrink the Canadian economy, resulting in around $30 billion per year in economic costs.
More than 77 per cent of Canadian exports go to the U.S.
Canada’s manufacturing sector faces the biggest risk should Trump push forward on imposing broad tariffs, said Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters president and CEO Dennis Darby. He said the sector is the “most trade-exposed” within Canada.
“It’s in the U.S.’s best interest, it’s in our best interest, but most importantly for consumers across North America, that we’re able to trade goods, materials, ingredients, as we have under the trade agreements,” Darby said in an interview.
“It’s a more complex or complicated outcome than it would have been with the Democrats, but we’ve had to deal with this before and we’re going to do our best to deal with it again.”
American economists have also warned Trump’s plan could cause inflation and possibly a recession, which could have ripple effects in Canada.
It’s consumers who will ultimately feel the burden of any inflationary effect caused by broad tariffs, said Darby.
“A tariff tends to raise costs, and it ultimately raises prices, so that’s something that we have to be prepared for,” he said.
“It could tilt production mandates. A tariff makes goods more expensive, but on the same token, it also will make inputs for the U.S. more expensive.”
A report last month by TD economist Marc Ercolao said research shows a full-scale implementation of Trump’s tariff plan could lead to a near-five per cent reduction in Canadian export volumes to the U.S. by early-2027, relative to current baseline forecasts.
Retaliation by Canada would also increase costs for domestic producers, and push import volumes lower in the process.
“Slowing import activity mitigates some of the negative net trade impact on total GDP enough to avoid a technical recession, but still produces a period of extended stagnation through 2025 and 2026,” Ercolao said.
Since the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement came into effect in 2020, trade between Canada and the U.S. has surged by 46 per cent, according to the Toronto Region Board of Trade.
With that deal is up for review in 2026, Canadian Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Candace Laing said the Canadian government “must collaborate effectively with the Trump administration to preserve and strengthen our bilateral economic partnership.”
“With an impressive $3.6 billion in daily trade, Canada and the United States are each other’s closest international partners. The secure and efficient flow of goods and people across our border … remains essential for the economies of both countries,” she said in a statement.
“By resisting tariffs and trade barriers that will only raise prices and hurt consumers in both countries, Canada and the United States can strengthen resilient cross-border supply chains that enhance our shared economic security.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.
