Do you agree with the following statement: “Everything seems broken in Canada right now. »? To this question posed in a Léger poll and published on the front page of the NationalPost, 67% of respondents agreed.
In contrast, only a quarter of those polled do not believe the country is broken. The question is a reference to a phrase hammered out by the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada (PCQ), Pierre Poilievre, since November. During a press briefing, he said that “everything seems broken” in the country.
For the executive vice-president of Leger for central Canada, Andrew Enns, this dissatisfaction is explained, among other things, by the challenges that have arisen from the resumption of activities after the health crisis. “When we came out of the pandemic, we were faced with inflation and all kinds of other problems, like the passport crisis or delays at airports,” he said in a telephone interview. “There has been a steady increase in services that we have struggled with. »
Mr. Enns also notes a possible fatigue of the population with regard to the government of Justin Trudeau. “He and the Liberals have been in power for eight years,” he recalls. And when expectations of a government are high, there are always disappointments. »
Quebec quite satisfied
While 59% of Quebecers also believe that Canada is a “broken” country, the province remains one of those where the highest proportion of the population disagrees with this statement.
“The phrase ‘Canada is broken’ has a political connotation,” says Mr. Enns, since it comes from Pierre Poilievre. “And this connotation can be negative for Quebecers, since the PCQ is not very popular in the province. »
Another notable poll result indicates that half of Canadians are “angry” with the way the country is run. Of these, 20% say they are “very angry”. The province where the most people say they are “very angry” is Alberta, while Quebec has the least, alongside the Atlantic provinces.
Quebec is also one of the provinces whose population declares itself the most satisfied with the management of the country, with a rate of 44%.
Young people and angry women
The Léger poll indicates that more women than men believe the country is “broken”, while the age group most in agreement with this statement are 18 to 54 years old. “For Justin Trudeau, this is not good news,” analyzes Mr. Enns. “Anger is less present among older people, who are sometimes stereotyped as people who complain that it was better in their time,” he continues. The anger is quite strong among young people, and they are an important part of Mr. Trudeau’s voters. »
How to explain this dissatisfaction? The inflationary context, in particular. “Building a career, buying a house, it becomes difficult for young people, believes Mr. Enns. These factors cause some of them to develop negative feelings towards the government. He had promised them that their lives would improve, but that is not the case. »
The survey was conducted among 1,554 adult Canadians from January 20 to 22.