Prairie provinces split on Ottawa's use of Emergencies Act: Nanos Research poll
A Canada-wide Nanos Research poll found nearly 52 per cent of respondents in the Prairies supported Ottawa’s move to invoke the Emergencies Act following the Freedom Convoy to Parliament Hill.
Forty-four per cent said they were opposed or somewhat opposed.
The poll, commissioned by CTV News, surveyed 1,025 Canadians between Nov. 27 and 29, following a public inquiry on the Emergencies Act’s use.
Trevor Harrison, a sociology professor and political expert at the University of Lethbridge, says those results are a clear indication of the distaste Western Canada has for the prime minister.
“What you see in the Alberta results, particularly the Prairie results, is really a partisan thing – that is, we just don’t like Liberals,” he said.
“It would be interesting, had there been a Conservative government in office in Ottawa, would the reaction be the same?”
Two-thirds of Canadians overall supported the use of the act, with 48 per cent completely supporting and 18 per cent somewhat supporting its use.
Support was highest in Atlantic Canada, where 74.6 per cent indicated they support or somewhat support the decision. This was followed by Quebec, where 73.4 per cent said they at least somewhat support the use of the act.
About 30 per cent of Canadians were opposed to its use in some form.
Nanos also asked survey respondents whether they believed Canada would be prepared for another protest similar to the "Freedom Convoy." Of the respondents, 45 per cent said Canada is not prepared or somewhat not prepared, while 50 per cent said Canada would be at least somewhat prepared.
An organizer for the "Freedom Convoy" says there are plans for a "Freedom Convoy 2.0" protest in Ottawa in February 2023.
Solicitor General and Justice Minister Tyler Shandro says Alberta did not need the act to clear protesters from the Coutts border blockade, which cost the economy $44 million per day.
A cache of weapons was seized by the RCMP and several protesters were charged for conspiracy to murder Mounties.
Shandro says law enforcement can always learn from past events, to better prepare for future ones.
“We want an opportunity for law enforcement to be able to protect the rights of Canadians,” he said.
“We want them to do it in a safe way and a way for them to come home safely to their families at the end of the day.”
Poll results have a margin of error of +/- 3.1 percentage points 19 times out of 20.
The results were statistically checked and weighted by age and gender using the latest Census information and the sample is geographically stratified to be representative of Canada.
Individuals were called using random-digit dialling with a maximum of five callbacks.
To see the poll, you can visit Nanos' website.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Half of Canadians have negative opinion of latest Liberal budget: poll
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
Twins from Toronto were Canada's top two female finishers at this year's Boston Marathon
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
Senate expenses climbed to $7.2 million in 2023, up nearly 30%
Senators in Canada claimed $7.2 million in expenses in 2023, a nearly 30 per cent increase over the previous year.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
NASA hears from Voyager 1, the most distant spacecraft from Earth, after months of quiet
NASA has finally heard back from Voyager 1 again in a way that makes sense. The most distant spacecraft from Earth hadn't sent home any understandable data since last November.
Australian police arrest 7 alleged teen extremists linked to stabbing of a bishop in a Sydney church
Australian police arrested seven teenagers accused of following a violent extremist ideology in raids across Sydney on Wednesday, as a judge extended a ban on social media platform X sharing video of a knife attack on a bishop that started the criminal investigation.