More than half of Canadians still think the federal government was justified in invoking the Emergencies Act.
Vancouver, BC [April 19, 2024] – The perceptions of Canadians on the series of protests and blockades against restrictions and mandates related to the COVID-19 pandemic have shifted over the past couple of years, a new Research Co. poll has found.
In the online survey of a representative national sample, just over seven-in-ten Canadians (71%) say they “very closely” or “moderately closely” followed the protests and blockades that took place in Ottawa and other parts of Canada at the start of 2022.
Half of Canadians (50%, -9 since a similar Research Co. poll conducted in February 2022) opposed the protests and blockades, while just over two-in-five (41%, +6) supported them and 9% (+3) are not sure.
Support for the protests and blockades is highest in Saskatchewan and Manitoba (46%), followed by Alberta (45%), Ontario (44%), Atlantic Canada (42%), Quebec (38%) and British Columbia (33%).
More than half of Canadians (58%, -5) believe the federal government was justified in invoking the Emergencies Act to deal with the protests and blockades, while 32% (+4) consider Ottawa’s actions as unjustified.
Majorities of Canadians who voted for the Liberal Party and the New Democratic Party (NDP) in the 2021 election (73% and 65% respectively) endorse the use of the Emergencies Act. The proportion is decidedly lower (42%) among Conservative Party voters in the last federal ballot.
“More than three-in-five Canadians who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 (63%) think the federal government was correct in invoking the Emergencies Act in 2022,” says Mario Canseco, President of Research Co. “Only 28% of unvaccinated Canadians feel the same way.”
Just over three-in-four Canadians (76%, -5) are “very concerned” or “moderately concerned” about violence breaking out at the site of protests and blockades. Majorities of Canadians are also worried about foreign money being used to fund the activities of protestors (65%, -6), the federal government relying on the Emergencies Act to end other protests in the future (also 65%, =) and Canada’s image in the world being negatively affected by the protests and the federal government’s actions (59%, -11).
A third of Canadians (34%) believe that no COVID-19 mandates and restrictions should have been implemented, while 59% disagree with this notion.
More than two-in-five Canadians (42%, +7) believe the actions of the people protesting against restrictions and mandates were justified, while 51% (-7) disagree with this assessment.
Canadians are deeply divided on whether the people protesting against restrictions and mandates were fighting for freedom: 45% (+5) agree with this view, while 47% (-7) disagree.
One third of Canadians (34%, +8) agree that the federal government should be overthrown, while a majority (54%, -11) disagree with the statement.
Methodology: Results are based on an online survey conducted from April 8 to April 10, 2024, among 1,001 adults in Canada. The data has been statistically weighted according to Canadian census figures for age, gender and region. The margin of error – which measures sample variability – is +/- 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
Find our data tables here and download the press release here.
For more information on this poll, please contact:
Mario Canseco, President, Research Co.
778.929.0490
[e] mario.canseco@researchco.ca