Toronto (Feb 9) – The looming American election has become a source of anxiety on both sides of the border, but Canadians’ concerns about the state of domestic democracy are growing, too.
New data from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute finds Canadians, and especially past Conservative voters, worried that key democratic pillars are weakening in Canada. Canadians are more likely to believe elections are becoming less free and fair, the rule of law is being applied less equitably and the power is less invested in the common people than to see those principles strengthening. On all three, those who voted for the Conservative party in 2021 are much more critical than other past voters, whose concerns are evident but perhaps less grave.
And while Canadians have their criticisms of their country, some solace may be found in cross-border perspectives.
Two-thirds of Canadians (67%) say they are proud to live in Canada, compared to 54 per cent who say this in the U.S. Meantime, twice as many residents north of the border say they believe it to be a caring society (59%) as south (30%).
Domestically, the federal government, and its current path, appears to be the most polarizing element of the country at the moment. Half (48%) say Canada does not have a good system of government and as many (47%) believe the country is on the wrong track.
In this perceived dearth of quality government, an issue that extends to the provinces, concerns over the potential for “Trump-style politics” are palpable. Just 13 per cent of Canadians say that this approach – driven by bombastic populist messaging, disregard for institutions and legal norms, and attacks on “the deep state” – is something to which Canada is immune. Three-quarters (75%) say that the Trump trend – which has inspired imitators around the globe – is something that can happen in Canada.
