67 Percent of Canadians Agree That ‘Everything Is Broken’ in Canada: Poll

Beef and meat products are displayed for sale at a grocery store in Aylmer, Que., on May 26, 2022. Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press

A majority of Canadians say they agree with a statement by a politician that everything in the country seems to be “broken,” according to an online poll by market research firm Leger.

The survey was conducted in collaboration with Postmedia from Jan. 20 to 22, which asked 1,554 Canadians aged 18 and over to what extent they agree with a recent statement by a Canadian politician stating “it feels like everything is broken in this country right now.”

Sixty-seven percent of the respondents agreed with that statement, said the poll, with almost half of them “strongly agree,” while 25 percent expressed disagreement with 7 percent “strongly disagree.”

At a press conference on Nov. 9, 2022, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre commented that rising prices were hurting Canadian families.

“Unfortunately though, it feels like everything is broken in this country right now,” he told reporters at Parthenon Market, a Greek grocery store in Vancouver.

Poilievre noted food prices had hit a 40-year high with an 11 percent increase due to inflation, and that in one month that year, 1.5 million Canadians had to use the food bank to feed their families.

He also said fuel prices had “increased nearly 100 percent,” home heating bills were projected to double going into winter, and there were “35-year-olds living in their parents’ basements” due to the high housing prices in major cities.

‘Seen Across the Country’

Researchers at Leger said the “broken” sentiment didn’t come only from demographics that one would normally assume.

“It’s not just the angry old man from Alberta who agrees that the country is ‘broken,’” they said in the poll report.

“Women are statistically more likely to agree here, while men disagree, and it’s the 18–54 age group that is driving this feeling of brokenness.”

The poll indicated 70 percent of female respondents agreed with the statement compared to 64 percent of male respondents, and Canadians aged 18–54 (at least 70 percent) feel that the country is going downhill.

Respondents in the West (70 percent) are also more in agreement, but “this sentiment is seen across the country,” the researchers said. In Eastern Canada it’s 66 percent.

A breakdown showed that B.C. (65 percent), Alberta (73 percent), Manitoba, and Saskatchewan (both 74 percent) shared the sentiment, while Ontario (70 percent), Quebec (59 percent), and the Atlantic provinces (69 percent) fared slightly behind as a region.

‘Not Broken’

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has since countered Poilievre’s claim that Canada is in disarray.

“When [Poilievre] says that Canada is broken, that’s where we draw the line,” Trudeau said during his speech at his caucus gathering on Dec. 14, 2022.

“Let me be very clear for the record—Canada is not broken.”

The prime minister cited examples of post-Fiona hurricane relief, jobs for “vulnerable women,” and “affordable child care” policies as progress under his leadership.

“In Canada, better is always possible but I don’t accept Canadians and politicians that talk down our country,” he said.

‘Angry’

According to the Leger poll, Canadians aren’t that happy.

Half of the respondents said they felt “angry” when asked how they feel when they think about how the country is being currently managed.

“In fact, 20 percent are very angry,” the poll indicated, while noting that 30 percent had specified they were “somewhat angry.”

A minority (41 percent) said they were “happy,” with 37 percent “somewhat happy” and 4 percent being “very happy.”

The angriest demographics are those of male respondents (22 percent), Canadians aged 35 and over (22 percent), and residents in Alberta (30 percent).

‘Rising Costs’

Among issues Canadians feel will impact them and their family, the rising cost of living topped the list.

Sixty-eight percent of respondents said “rising costs and inflation/interest rates” were what was most concerning to them.

The state of the country’s health care trailed closely at 59 percent, followed by the ability to afford a place to live (43 percent).

The poll is considered accurate within plus or minus 2.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

Marnie Cathcart contributed to this report.