Canadians’ support for lockdowns, government dips amid Omicron COVID-19 wave: poll
Global News
The Ipsos poll conducted exclusively for Global News found only 49 per cent of Canadians approve of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's response to the latest COVID-19 surge.
Canadians are losing confidence in government leaders and their response to the Omicron variant-fuelled COVID-19 wave, a new poll suggests, with support for lockdowns dipping to their lowest point since the pandemic began.
The Ipsos poll conducted exclusively for Global News found only 49 per cent of Canadians approve of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s response to the latest surge in cases and hospitalizations. Nationally, support for Canada’s premiers has dipped five points since December, to 52 per cent.
Canadians’ tolerance for lockdowns has dropped even further, with just 52 per cent of those surveyed saying they support lockdowns for as long as it takes to get Omicron under control. That pales in comparison to July, when Ipsos found more than two-thirds of Canadians would support another lockdown in the event of another COVID-19 wave.
“This isn’t just pandemic fatigue, it’s pandemic frustration,” said Darrell Bricker, CEO of Ipsos Public Affairs.
“When this pandemic started a couple of years ago, there was really this sense that we were all in it together. … Now, that sense that (Canadians) were rallying behind our political leadership has definitely declined.”
Ipsos surveyed over 1,000 Canadian adults online last week for the poll.
Trudeau’s support was highest in Atlantic Canada and Quebec at 72 per cent and 60 per cent respectively, while cooling to around half of respondents in most other provinces. Only 33 per cent of Albertans approve of Trudeau’s handling of Omicron, the poll suggests.
Quebec Premier Francois Legault continues to have the highest approval of all premiers, but his 66 per cent support is down nine points from last month — the biggest drop among provincial leaders.