Should the Canadian Government Have Responded Faster to COVID-19?
Canadians Think Government Should’ve Responded Faster to COVID-19
It has been roughly 11 months now since Canada began enduring the harsh realities associated with the COVID-19 global pandemic. Many have experienced job losses, financial ramifications, lockdowns, not to mention indefinite separation from family and friends. Worst of all, some have experienced illness and the untimely passing of loved ones who contracted the virus.
Recently, Global News commissioned Ipsos, a market research and consulting firm, to find out from Canadians who should’ve handled the COVID-19 situation better, as well as where blame for perceived inaction should fall.
The first major finding is that 63% of Canadians polled believe our government institutions should’ve acted faster to slow down the spread of COVID-19 – by enacting travel bans, curfews and lockdowns much sooner.
“Canadians do expect their governments to lead,” explained Ipsos CEO Darrell Bricker during an interview with Global News. “They do expect that their governments are going to be making the tough decisions and they do expect that their governments are going to be providing an example.”
As for the other third of Canadians, they think the government did the best it could with the information available. This segment of individuals also believed stricter measures were put on hold so that the economy could remain open for a longer period of time.
The Global News Ipsos poll revealed perspectives on this matter shifted between age groups. For instance, 42% of those aged 18 to 54 think the government did its best with the early days of COVID-19. Thirty percent of respondents 55+ “took a more conciliatory view.”
What About Right Now?
Nearly a year into COVID-19 life, Canadians are mixed about who is at fault for the current case counts we’re witnessing nationwide. Yes, the government took some of the blame, but poll results show even more citizens blame one another for the continually spreading virus.
Out of those polled, 31% think “individual Canadians” should be blamed for the steady number of COVID-19 cases. These respondents felt as if not enough people have properly followed physical distancing rules.
Observed Bricker: “[People] know that this just isn’t a matter of what the government tells us to do. It’s also very much driven by what we decide to do ourselves. And for a lot of Canadians, their fellow Canadians are not doing what they need to in order to shut down the disease.”
Conversely, 16% laid blame at the feet of the federal government, while 5% saw more fault in the provincial governments.
Assigning fault on different levels of government requires an understanding for who is responsible for what.
For instance, the federal government is in charge of implementing travel bans, buying vaccine dosages and putting forth nationwide emergency benefits for individuals or businesses struggling during the pandemic.
Provinces, however, have the biggest say in how their health and education systems operate. If you don’t like how school closures and protective measures in your region are going, that’s on the province. This branch of government also covers things like lockdown restrictions, curfews, plus the administering of COVID-19 vaccines.
“Why did it take so long for the governments to restrict the ability of people to move over our borders?” Questions Bricker. “So that’s one that has to lie at the desk of the federal government.”
He added: “But then it comes down to questions of what the provinces have been doing in order to stop the spread within their own jurisdictions. And the public finds that wanting too.”
More Blame to Go Around
A person’s financial situation also appeared to influence who should be faulted for Canada’s COVID-19 situation.
Residents who made more than $100,000/year were most likely to blame fellow citizens for not properly abiding by COVID-19 protocols. Those who made less than $40,000/year, think the spread of COVID-19 should not be “attributable to their peers.”
Lastly, more than 25% of those polled think everyone should be blamed equally for the spread of COVID-19. Meanwhile, just under 20% said no one should be faulted for it.
-by Adam Grant
*Information from this story originated from Global News Ipsos.
Majority of Canadians say governments should have acted faster amid COVID-19: Ipsos poll
https://globalnews.ca/news/7629863/coronavirus-response-government-faster-ipsos-poll/
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Who Is Matt McKeever?
Matt McKeever is a CPA, CA and Real Estate Entrepreneur in London, Ontario. On his YouTube Channel with over 70,000 subscribers and 4,000,000 views Matt discusses a variety of real estate and personal finance strategies and tactics. Including: How to BRRRR Real Estate, The Importance of Investing for Cash Flow, How to Reach Financial Independence Retire Early, Safe Withdrawal Rates, Frugality and Reducing Personal Consumption & Embracing Minimalism.
Matt began investing in real estate at age 25 by purchasing a student rental near Fanshawe College