NATIONAL PULSE – B.C. govt faces growing criticism over key issues

By ANGUS REID INSTITUTE

June 29, 2023 – While government dissatisfaction has become a familiar trend in Ontario in recent years, the ranks of those disenchanted with the performance of their respective provincial governments are growing: enter British Columbia.

New data from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute finds provincial governments’ scores on ARI’s Government Performance Index (GPI) facing considerable attrition. The GPI score represents the average number of residents saying their own provincial government is doing a good or very good job across 13 different issues, from health care to inflation.

The Ontario provincial government under Premier Doug Ford scores the lowest in the country (21), tied with Manitoba under Premier Heather Stefanson. This represents a four-point drop for Ford’s government, which was already poorly appraised.

Related: Poor ratings on cost of living and health care have Manitoba PCs trailing NDP by five-points

On the west coast, the government of David Eby faces increasing negativity as well. The British Columbia GPI now sits at 27, down five points since March. This, as his government (like many others in the country) faces criticism over its handling of top provincial issues. One-in-six (15%) say the government is handling the cost-of-living file well, while just 11 per cent say this of housing affordability.

Satisfaction with provincial government performance across the country has diminished greatly over the past three years. The overall average now sits at 30, a decline from the 46 seen in June 2020.

This downward trend has been largely driven by overwhelming dissatisfaction over how provinces have been performing and responding to two key files: health care and the cost of living. Nowhere in the country do more than 38 per cent of residents say their province is handling health care or the cost-of-living crisis well (Alberta leads both categories at 38 per cent).

Overall, the most satisfaction is found in Saskatchewan. This is driven by majority praise in handling the economy (60%), energy policy (61%), and the deficit (56%). Despite this, concerns linger among Saskatchewanians over health care and the cost of living, wherein fewer than two-in-five offer the government kudos.

Link to the poll here: www.angusreid.org/