Federal Budget Cuts and Changes to Public Pension Plan (21%)
Top Canadian Political Story of 2012

Toronto, ON - One in five (21%) Canadians believe the federal budget containing billions in spending cuts, including future changes to the public pension plan, was the top Canadian political story of 2012, according to a new Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of Postmedia News and Global Television. The poll presented a list of ten options as assembled by Postmedia News, but four stories in particular rose to the top of the list. Following closely in second place, 18% of Canadians believe the massive Alberta beef recall - which was the largest of its kind in Canadian history - deserves the distinction of this year's top political story. An equal portion (18%) of Canadians say that the Quebec student protests over proposed tuition hikes is this year's top news story, with a majority (55%) of Quebecers believing this was the top story of the year.

In fourth place, 15% of Canadians believe the federal government's decision to allow the takeover of Nexen by a Chinese state-owned enterprise was the biggest political story of the year.

The table below outlines in full the top political stories of 2012 as chosen by Canadians:

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Top stories varied by region:

• British Columbians (29%) were most inclined to choose the federal government's approval of the Nexen takeover as the top political story.
• Albertans (28%) were most likely to identify the federal government budget cuts and pension reform as the top political story of the year. Not far behind (22%) though, was the beef recall story.
• Residents of Saskatchewan and Manitoba (34%) likewise chose the federal government budget cuts and pension reform as the top political story of the year.
• A plurality of Ontarians (22%) also named the budget cuts as their number-one political story, but 21% think that Dalton McGuinty's resignation marked the top political story of the year.
• For Quebecers this was an easy vote - 55% chose the student riots as the top political story of the year.
• Atlantic Canadians were most inclined to name the federal budget cuts and pension reform as the top story (32%), but they were also more likely than anyone else (16% compared to 8% average) to choose the cost of the F-35 jet as the top political story of the year.

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted between December 8th to 21th, 2012, on behalf of Postmedia News and Global Television. For this survey, a sample of 1,003 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 +/- 3.5 percentage points of the entire Canadian adult population. 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:

John Wright
Senior Vice President
Ipsos Reid Public Affairs
416.324.2002
[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.

To learn more, please visit www.ipsos.ca.

About Ipsos

Ipsos is an independent market research company controlled and managed by research professionals. Founded in France in 1975, Ipsos has grown into a worldwide research group with a strong presence in all key markets. In October 2011 Ipsos completed the acquisition of Synovate. The combination forms the world's third largest market research company.

With offices in 84 countries, Ipsos delivers insightful expertise across six research specializations: advertising, customer loyalty, marketing, media, public affairs research, and survey management.

Ipsos researchers assess market potential and interpret market trends. They develop and build brands. They help clients build long-term relationships with their customers. They test advertising and study audience responses to various media and they measure public opinion around the globe.

Ipsos has been listed on the Paris Stock Exchange since 1999 and generated global revenues of e1,363 billion (1.897 billion USD) in 2011.

Visit www.ipsos-na.com to learn more about Ipsos' offerings and capabilities.