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As Canadians enter the 19th month of life under the COVID-19 pandemic, our views on how governments have managed the crisis have gone through some changes. Quebec and British Columbia have usually been ahead of all other jurisdictions on management. The early skepticism about a successful vaccine rollout gave way to a high level of satisfaction with both federal procurement and the pace of efforts in each province.
Before Canadians cast their ballots in last month’s federal election, health care was identified as the most important issue facing the country by 27% of voters – rising to 38% in Quebec and to 42% in Atlantic Canada. In June, the health-care system was regarded as a source of pride by 66% of Canadians – higher than Indigenous culture, bilingualism and the justice system.
In spite of these feelings, the current state of affairs is not ideal. At this time, medical resources in specific provinces have been pushed to the limit, leading to the postponement and cancellation of procedures. Still, Canadians maintain their optimism about what the system will be able to do for them, even as the pandemic continues. When Research Co. and Glacier Media asked Canadians about health care, more than three in four (77%) continue to believe that the system would be there to provide the help and assistance that they would need if they had to face an unexpected medical condition or disease.
One of the unique features of the past federal campaign was the absence of a significant discussion on the deficit. The pandemic has made centre-right politicians more mindful about addressing how money should be allocated in the future. The current state of affairs is not lost on Canadians, with more than four in five (82%) rejecting the notion of the federal government making cuts to health-care funding to reduce debt.
For a couple of days, the 2021 federal election campaign looked like the one from 2000, with the Liberals pushing the perception that the Conservatives were seriously considering a wider participation of the private sector in the delivery of health-care services. Most Canadians do not believe this would result in an improvement, with 56% disagreeing with the idea that health care in Canada would be better than it is now if it were run by the private sector.
Practically three in five Canadians (59%) maintain the view that there are some good things in the health-care system but many changes are required. By a two-to-one margin, Canadians are more likely to look at health care as requiring only minor modifications (25%) than to suggest that the system needs to be completely rebuilt (12%).
Our personal experiences may be making us more distrustful. While 32% of Canadians aged 18 to 34 look at health care as being practically perfect, only 25% of their counterparts aged 35 to 54 and 22% of those aged 55 and over share the same view.
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