Finance Canada survey finds Canadians at odds with Conservatives’ priorities
2014/07/22 Leave a comment
Interesting but not necessarily surprising. Those Canada’s Economic Action Plan ads may have not been as good value for money, let alone for taxpayers:
Public-opinion research for the federal Finance Department suggests key government policies are out of step with Canadians’ priorities, including the Northern Gateway project.
Members of focus groups consulted prior to the February budget had “little enthusiasm” for the proposed bitumen pipeline to the British Columbia coast — even those who said they support the controversial project.
And among the 12 groups consulted — from Coquitlam, B.C., to Bridgewater, N.S. — the economy itself was not a top-of-mind concern.
Rather, the groups spontaneously raised education, health care, pensions and veterans as their key issues.
They also called for more processing and refining of Canada’s oil resources at home, and to do so in a more environmentally safe manner.
The findings of the January focus groups, commissioned from NRG Research Group, suggest the Harper government’s central policy themes — trade and the economy, with an emphasis on energy exports — are resonating less with ordinary Canadians.
Multicultural Meanderings 