Do you agree with the following statement: “Everything seems to be broken in Canada right now”? Léger answered this question in a survey, the results of which were published on the front page of national mail, 67% of respondents agreed.

In contrast, only a quarter of respondents believe that the country is not broken. The question refers to a phrase Canadian Conservative Party (CPC) leader Pierre Poilievre has been hammering out since November. During a press conference, he said that “everything seems to be broken” in the country.

Leger’s senior vice president for central Canada, Andrew Enns, says part of the explanation for this dissatisfaction is the challenges posed by the resumption of activities after the health crisis. “When we came out of the pandemic, we faced inflation and all sorts of other problems, like the passport crisis or airport delays,” he said in a phone interview. “There was a steady increase in services that we were struggling with. »

Mr Enns also notes possible popular fatigue in relation to Justin Trudeau’s government. “He and the Liberals have been in power for eight years,” he recalls. And when government expectations are high, there are always disappointments. »

Quebec pretty happy

While 59% of Quebecers also believe Canada is a “broken” country, the province remains one of those where the highest percentage of the population disagrees.

“The phrase ‘Canada is broken’ has a political connotation,” says Mr. Enns, since it comes from Pierre Poilievre. “And that connotation can be negative for Quebecers because the CCP is not very popular in the province. »

Another notable poll finding shows that half of Canadians are “angry” at the way the country is being run. Of these, 20% state that they are “very angry”. The province where most people say they are “very angry” is Alberta, while Quebec has the fewest, along with the Atlantic provinces.

Quebec is also one of the provinces whose population is the most satisfied with the country’s administration, with a rate of 44%.

Young people and angry women

The Léger poll shows that more women than men believe the country is ‘broken’, while the 18-54 age group is the most likely to agree. “This is not good news for Justin Trudeau,” analyzes Mr. Enns. “Anger is less present in older people, who are sometimes stereotyped as people complaining that things were better in their day,” he continues. Anger runs high among young people, and they’re an important part of Mr. Trudeau’s voters. »

How can this dissatisfaction be explained? Especially the inflationary context. “Making a career, buying a house will be difficult for young people,” believes Mr. Enns. These factors cause some of them to develop negative feelings towards the government. He had promised them that their lives would get better, but that is not the case. »

The survey was conducted January 20-22 among 1,554 adult Canadians.

To see in the video