Canadians Reveal Which Policies Make Them
More or Less Likely to Vote Liberal

Toronto, ON - The Liberal policy convention in Montreal is wrapping up, and delegates from across the country have casted their ballots to shape Liberal policy going into next year's election. In this third release of a three-part series by Ipsos Reid and CTV News, Canadians have weighed in on roughly a dozen policy options considered by Liberal delegates, and have determined whether the adoption of such a policy would make them more or less likely to vote for the Liberals as a result.

Policies that appear to resonate the most with Canadians include enhancements to the Canada Pension Plan, increasing funding to mental health, a more powerful House of Commons Speaker and reverting Old Age Security benefits to 65 years instead of 67.

Conversely, legalizing the smoking of marijuana turns more people off the Liberals than on (and only has tepid support among young Canadians), and other policies have minimal effect, such as enhancing the budget and independence of the Parliamentary Budget Officer.

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Policies are often not meant to have broad appeal, but are targeted to certain demographic segments that the party is trying to woo. Some of these policies have more support among certain segments than others:

• While only 23% overall said they'd be more likely to vote Liberal if they pledged to form an early childhood education and care program, 27% of women and 32% of university graduates say they'd be more likely to vote Liberal as a result.
• While 30% of Canadians are more likely to be drawn to the Liberals if they offered more free votes in the House of Commons, 40% of those aged 55+ say so. Older Canadians are also more likely to be swayed by open committee hearings (34%, 6 higher than the Canadian average of 28%), and a more powerful House of Commons speaker (44%, compared to 33% national average).
• Women (42%) are much more inclined than men (29%) to say they'd be more likely to vote Liberal if they increased funding for mental health initiatives. Women are also more likely (45%) than men (35%) to be wooed by promises to enhance the CPP.
• Three in ten (27%) Canadians aged 18 to 34 would be more likely to vote Liberal if they vowed to legalize the smoking of marijuana, but 20% would be less likely.

Most (83%) Canadians Support the "Right to Die"...

One of the more controversial issues that the Liberals have been considering this weekend is euthanasia, often called the "right to die", meaning that a person who is terminally ill and wants to die before enduring the full course of the disease should have the right to take their own life.

Eight in ten (83%) Canadians `support' (43% strongly/40% somewhat) this notion, while two in ten (17%) `disagree' (7% strongly/9% somewhat) with it. In 2007, an Ipsos Reid poll revealed that 76% supported this notion while 21% opposed.

Moreover, eight in ten (82%) believe that `doctors who are willing to do this should be legally permitted to assist in the death of a terminally-ill patient', while two in ten (18%) are of the opinion that `doctor-assisted suicide should be prohibited by law'. In 2007, 71% thought doctors should be legally permitted to assist, while 25% believed doctor-assisted suicide should be prohibited by law.

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted between February 14th to 19th, 2014 on behalf of CTV News. For this survey, a sample of 1,036 Canadians from Ipsos' Canadian online panel was interviewed online. Weighting was then employed to balance demographics to ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the adult population according to Census data and to provide results intended to approximate the sample universe. The precision of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll is accurate to within +/- 3.5 percentage points had all Canadians adults been polled. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error, and measurement error.

For more information on this news release, please contact:

Darrell Bricker, PhD
CEO
Ipsos Reid
Public Affairs
416.324.2001
[email protected]

About Ipsos Reid

Ipsos Reid is Canada's market intelligence leader, the country's leading provider of public opinion research, and research partner for loyalty and forecasting and modelling insights. With operations in eight cities, Ipsos Reid employs more than 600 research professionals and support staff in Canada. The company has the biggest network of telephone call centres in the country, as well as the largest pre-recruited household and online panels. Ipsos Reid's marketing research and public affairs practices offer the premier suite of research vehicles in Canada, all of which provide clients with actionable and relevant information. Staffed with seasoned research consultants with extensive industry-specific backgrounds, Ipsos Reid offers syndicated information or custom solutions across key sectors of the Canadian economy, including consumer packaged goods, financial services, automotive, retail, and technology & telecommunications. Ipsos Reid is an Ipsos company, a leading global survey-based market research group.

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