Canadians more weary of health, cost of living responses: survey

A new survey finds Canadians are growing more dissatisfied with how their governments are handling the issues that matter most to them.

The Angus Reid Institute is looking at how provinces and territories are doing when it comes to key issues like health care, the cost of living, housing affordability, and education. However, the non-profit says the two standouts that Canadians appear to be most vocal about are inflation and health.

According to the survey, 66 per cent of Canadians polled said cost of living — including debt, grocery prices, and mortgage renewals — was the main issue they wanted governments to address. Fifty-nine-per-cent said health care was among their top issues.

In B.C., 14 per cent of people polled said the government was doing a good job on the cost of living file, while 81 per cent said the opposite.

Health care also continues to be a pressing issue for most British Columbians, who showed some of the steepest declines in satisfaction since 2020, the Angus Reid Institute says.

In 2020, the pollster says 63 per cent of British Columbians surveyed said they were satisfied with how the province was handling this issue. However, its most recent survey found only 27 per cent of people said the same.

Improving health care was a major takeaway from the COVID-19 pandemic, as provinces and territories worked to ease some pressure on systems that were brought to light across the country, including in B.C. However, the province continues to deal with issues related to care, including with access to care and the number of family doctors available.

The Angus Reid Institute notes wait times and accessibility are also concerns across the country.