OTTAWA — The Harper government is convincing a majority of Canadians that it has a solid record on job-creation and crime prevention but its performance on social programs such as health care and pensions is less impressive, according to a new poll.
The nationwide Ipsos Reid survey conducted this month for Postmedia News and Global TV provides a glimpse into how Canadians are rating the federal government on a wide range of key issues.
The pollster said Canadians are giving “mixed reviews” to the government.
There is strong support for the government’s record on the military and Afghanistan, despite the recent controversial decision to keep nearly 1,000 troops in that country for another three years to train Afghans.
Similarly, after a year in which Prime Minister Stephen Harper hosted the G8 and G20 leaders but lost a bid for a Canadian seat on the United Nations Security Council, Canadians give strong marks to how his government is enhancing this country’s international reputation.
However, Canadians are roughly split on whether the Tories are doing enough in areas such as climate change, human-smuggling, democratic reform and an elected Senate.
The results may explain why the major political contenders are shaping their main messages for the next election to emphasize their own strengths.
Harper’s governing Conservatives have been touting their record on the economy and have been highlighting their law-and-order bills.
The Liberals, led by Michael Ignatieff, have been emphasizing the Tories’ weakness on social programs and have begun making pledges to fill that gap.
In recent days, as Parliament adjourned for a six-week break, speculation increased about a spring election. Harper flatly said he won’t call, or provoke, an election, but Ignatieff was coy about whether his party would support the next budget or try, with other opposition parties, to defeat the government and spark a campaign.
Ipsos Reid president Darrell Bricker said the Conservatives are well positioned because, for now at least, the most important issues for Canadians in the wake of the global recession are economic.
“Canadians are sitting back right now and looking at their economy and saying ‘We dodged a bullet. We came out of this not too bad.’ Does the government get some credit for that? Yes, I think it does.”
At the same time, said Bricker, it’s clear that over the next year health care will re-emerge as a growing issue of importance for Canadians.
“People aren’t necessarily worried about health care today, but health care in the future. And that’s going to be a big challenge.”
For its survey, Ipsos Reid asked Canadians if they thought the federal government was “getting things done” on various issues.
Here are the areas where a majority think the government is getting things done:
• Job creation: (63 per cent);
• Crime (67 per cent);
• Bolstering the military (73 per cent);
• Afghanistan (71 per cent);
• Enhancing Canada’s reputation in the world (64 per cent); and
• Veterans affairs (56 per cent).
However, there are some other issues where a majority of Canadians think the government is “not getting anything done.” They are:
• Strengthening the pension system (59 per cent);
• Improving the health care system (55 per cent);
• An elected Senate (53 per cent);
• Human-smuggling (52 per cent);
• Democratic reform in the House of Commons (52 per cent);
• Climate change (51 per cent); and
• Helping the elderly (51 per cent).
For its survey, Ipsos Reid conducted a poll Dec 9-14 of 1,044 adults from an online panel.
The survey has a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
Read more: http://www.canada.com/business/Tories+strong+jobs+crime+military+soft+health+care+pensions+poll/4001202/story.html#ixzz18cqy7HGW
