In Lead up to Budget Day, Canadians Want a Long-Term Deficit-Reduction Strategy that Ensures Sustainability of Important Programs like Health Care

Toronto, ON - As Finance Minister Jim Flaherty prepares to deliver the budget on March 4th, revealing to the nation his deficit-reduction plan, a new Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of the Canadian Medical Association has revealed that most Canadians (89%) `agree' (48% completely/41% somewhat) that they would `rather see the Government of Canada take a long-term approach to reducing the deficit so that it can ensure the sustainability of important programs like health care' instead of reducing the deficit through cutting back spending on key government programs.

While two in three (63%) `support' (17% strongly/46% somewhat) reduced spending on government programs because of the deficit, just 16% `support' (4% strongly/12% somewhat) reduced spending on health care. But most understand the anticipated tightening of the purse strings means there likely won't be an increase in spending either as seven in ten (70%) `agree' (18% completely/52% somewhat) that they're `not expecting to see any additional increases in health care funding in the next couple of years'.

The challenge then becomes making health care dollars go farther than before. The federal government provides a portion of the funds spent on healthcare and the provinces are responsible for providing the services. In this context, most (70%) Canadians more closely agree with the sentiment that since the Government of Canada transfers significant funds to the provinces for health care, the federal government `should have a system in place to hold the provinces accountable for how these funds are used'. On the other hand, three in ten (30%) more closely believe that `other than paying its fair share, the Government of Canada should leave health care to the provinces to run and should have no say in how the provincial health systems operate".

In terms of how the federal government would keep the provinces accountable, most (87%) `agree' (41% completely/46% somewhat) that `the Government of Canada should collect information and evaluations from all the provincial health systems and then act as a clearing house to ensure that the best and most efficient practices are adopted across the country'. Further, almost all (94%) Canadians `agree' (53% completely/41% somewhat) that `the Government of Canada should look at some of the long term trends in the areas of demographics, immigration and technology and take on the responsibility for developing a long term, national strategy for the future of health care in Canada'.

While most (83%) Canadians believe addressing the deficit is an `urgent' (32% very/51% somewhat) matter, most `agree' (41% completely/42% somewhat) that they are `worried that if the Government of Canada deals with the deficit too quickly it will mean that important programs like health care will suffer'. However, most don't see the need to move too quickly as nearly two in three (62%) believe that a reduction in the deficit will likely occur on its own as the economy recovers, `agreeing' (18% completely/44% somewhat) that `once the economy starts to grow the deficit will be reduced and there will be no need to cut spending on important programs like health care'. Four in ten (38%) `disagree' (8% completely/30% somewhat) that economic growth will have this type of impact on the deficit.

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted between February 8th and February 15th, 2010, on behalf of the Canadian Medical Association. For this survey, a national sample of 2,017 adults from Ipsos' Canadian online panel was interviewed online. Weighting was then employed to balance demographics and 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. A survey with an unweighted probability sample of this size and a 100% response rate would have an estimated margin of error of +/-2.2 percentage points 19 times out of 20 of what the results would have been had the entire population of adults in Canada 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:
Mike Colledge
President
Ipsos Reid
Public Affairs
(613) 241-5802
[email protected]

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