New poll shows Canadians want to vote to stop the cuts

OTTAWA, Oct. 15, 2015 /CNW/ - A new Ekos poll commissioned by the Public Service Alliance of Canada shows that a large percentage of Canadians are opposed to cuts to public services and believe the cuts will affect the election result on October 19^th.

The poll was conducted from October 2-11, 2015, and drew on a sample size of 5,064 Canadians of voting age (23, 836 were contacted) with a margin of error of 1.38. It revealed that Canadians are particularly concerned about cuts to food safety, border security and services for veterans. Some highlights:

• Nearly 80 per cent of respondents (78%) think cuts to public services will have a strong or moderate effect on the re-election prospects of the current government.
•  A large majority of respondents – over 5 out of 6 (86%) agree that cuts to food inspection put Canadians health at risk, and more than three quarters (77%) believe that these cuts put Canadians health at "great" risk.
• Nearly 70 per cent (68%) of respondents support restoring funding to Veterans Affairs and re-opening that nine Veterans Affairs offices that were closed by the Conservative government in 2014. Almost one out of two (48%) respondents to the question who identified themselves as Conservative supporters agreed.
• Almost 70 per cent (69%) of respondents saw cuts to environmental monitoring as a danger to the health of the environment.
• Sixty per cent of respondents agreed that defending our borders is important and that Border Services should not be subject to cuts.

Last July, the PSAC had launched its nationwide Vote to Stop the Cuts campaign that has since gone viral, to encourage Canadians to vote in the next federal election for candidates who oppose further cuts and seek to restore vital public services. The cumulative effect of these cuts by 2015–16 will be more than $14.5 billion a year  

"This new poll confirms that Canadians care about public services and will be voting to stop the cuts on October 19," said Robyn Benson, National President of PSAC. "Food inspection, border security and services to veterans were slashed under the Harper government. We hope that Canadians will elect a new government on Monday, so we can begin to restore the services that all citizens rely on."

Survey questions:

If a federal election were held tomorrow, which party would you vote for?

As it stands, towards which party are you leaning?

On a scale of one to seven (where one represents no risk and 7 represents a great deal of risk) to what degree do you think that cuts to food inspection put Canadians' health at risk?

The federal government recently announced plans to cut positions at the Canada Border Services Agency, the agency responsible for border security. Which of the following statements comes closest to your own views with regards to these cuts?

• These cuts are needed to reduce government spending
• Defending our borders is too important to allow reductions
• Don't know / undecided

Cuts to a variety of environmental monitoring and assessment programs across the country have already been announced. These cuts will see the closure of research programs related to climate change, protection of species at risk and curtail some environment assessments.  Which of the following statements best describes your attitudes towards cuts to environmental programs?

• These cuts are needed to rein in government expenditures
• These cuts represent an immediate danger to the health of the environment
• Don't know / undecided

The federal government has closed nine Veterans Affairs offices across the country and reduced other program spending that support Canadian veterans. On a scale of 1 to 7 (where 1 represents not at all and 7 represents very supportive) how supportive are you of restoring funding and re-opening Veterans Affairs offices?

Recent changes to EI eligibility rules mean that growing numbers of Canadians find it harder to qualify for benefits or receive no benefits at all, even for those who have paid for benefits over the course of their working lives or who are currently paying into the program Do you believe that EI benefits (and the requirements to receive them) should be:

• Easier to qualify for and receive
• Remain the same as they have been
• Harder to qualify for and/or should be reduced
• Don't know / undecided

Thinking about the current election campaign to what degree do you think that proposed spending cuts across a variety of public services could have an effect on the current governments' re-election prospects?

Of the following issues, which one do you think should be the most important issue for the next federal election?

• Issues like ethics and accountability
• The economy, jobs, and growth
• Fiscal issues like taxes and debt
• Social issues like health and education
• Don't know / undecided

Of the following issues, which one do you think should be the most important issue for the next federal election?

• Restoring middle class progress
• Issues related to the environment and climate change
• Issues related to border security and terrorism
• Democratic renewal
• Don't know / undecided

The highest level of formal education that you have received is?

Your annual household income approximately is?

Your gender is?

And your age is?

Province?

SOURCE Public Service Alliance of Canada

Video with caption: "On October 19, vote to stop the cuts". Video available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUhVcflB1bM

For interview requests, Jonathan Choquette, mobile: [phone], email: [email protected]; For a full data report on this survey, please send your request to Jonathan Choquette at [email protected]