Nine in Ten Canadians Support Fewer Trade Restrictions Between Provinces
Toronto, Ontario, March 29, 2018 — A new Ipsos survey conducted on behalf of the Canadian Constitution Foundation indicates that a majority of Canadians support various amendments to the Constitution. Support is strongest for changes that would loosen restrictions on inter-provincial employment and trade, for example, enabling Canadians with professional qualifications in one province to work in all provinces (96% support; 66% strongly/29% somewhat), allowing Canadian businesses to sell their products directly to people in any province (95%; 63% strongly/31% somewhat), and permitting Canadians to transport legally-purchased products between provinces (94%; 69% strongly/25% somewhat). Around six in ten (58%) support (15% strongly/42% somewhat) the ability of the Federal Government to build an infrastructure project under its jurisdiction and responsibility, even if one or more of the Provinces impacted by the project objects.
Support for other possible Constitutional changes remains strong and unchanged, with nine in ten (90%) favouring (45% strongly/45% somewhat) the inclusion of private property rights in the Charter (down 2 points from 2017), seven in ten (71%) supporting (35% strongly/36% somewhat) the termination of affirmative action programs (up 2 points since 2017), and six in ten (62%) holding the belief (22% strongly/40% somewhat) that some constitutional rights must be afforded to the unborn, before birth (up 1 point).
Charter Protection for Free Speech
Consistent with 2017, few Canadians (38%, -2 pts) agree (15% strongly/23% somewhat) that the Charter of Rights and Freedoms should protect hate speech, and fewer still (28%, unchanged) think it should protect speech that praises terrorists or acts of terrorism (12% strongly/16% somewhat). Meanwhile, a majority (56%, unchanged), think that the Charter right to free speech should protect speech that criticizes specific religions (22% strongly/33% somewhat).
Private Healthcare and Guaranteed Minimum Income
Conversely, a strong majority (76%) agree (31% strongly/45% somewhat) that the Charter should permit patients who have been on provincial wait lists longer than the maximum recommended waiting period for their condition to pay for private treatment. Likewise, three in four (75%, unchanged) think the Charter should guarantee a minimum income (40% strongly/35% somewhat).
Interpreting the Charter
There is less consensus in terms of who deserves the final say in times of disagreement over its meaning. Four in ten (42%) say that such matters should be decided by a national referendum (-3 pts). One in three (33%) think interpretation should be the responsibility of judges, marking a significant downturn since 2017 (-6 pts). Just one in four (25%) support Parliament as the final arbiter (+3 pts).
Despite the comparatively lower level of overall support for Parliament having the final say in such disputes, young adults aged 18-34 (42%) are more than twice as likely as those aged 35 and over (19%) to say that Parliament should decide. In fact, within this cohort, Parliament ranks ahead of both judges (26%) and a national referendum (32%) as the preferred method of arbitration.
Similarly, there is not a firm consensus regarding the judicial interpretation of various constitutional provisions. At around four in ten (45%), the highest proportion think that the Constitution must be understood according to the plain meaning of the words within it, unchanged compared to last year (44%). Interestingly, Quebecers (39%) are most inclined to think that the Constitution should be interpreted according to the Judge’s opinion about what is best for Canadian society, well ahead of residents of BC (24%), Ontario (23%), Alberta (20%), Saskatchewan and Manitoba (19%), and Atlantic Canada (19%).
Teaching the Constitution
Most Canadians (57%, -2 pts) either don’t remember (35%) or were not (22%) taught about the Canadian Constitution in elementary school or high school, leaving four in ten (43%) who were, on par with 2017 (+2 pts). Education about the Constitution is strongest in Alberta, where more than half (53%) say they learned about it in school. Alberta is followed by Saskatchewan and Manitoba (48%), Ontario (47%), Atlantic Canada (44%), BC (40%), and lastly by Quebec, the only province to never sign the Constitution, at 34%.
While overall education about the Constitution may seem low, much of this is driven by older Canadians: nearly six in ten Millennials (57%) and nearly half of Gen X’ers (46%) indicate having learned about the Constitution in school, compared to only three in ten (30%) Baby Boomers. In other words, the numbers provide some evidence that the incidence of education about the Constitution has been increasing in classrooms across the country over time.
About the Study
These are some of the findings of an Ipsos poll conducted between March 16th and March 19th, 2018 on behalf of the Canadian Constitution Foundation. For this survey, a sample of 1,001 Canadians aged 18+ was interviewed. 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, 19 times out of 20, had all Canadian adults been polled. The credibility interval will be wider among subsets of the 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:
Sean Simpson, Vice President
Ipsos Public Affairs
+1.416.324.2002
[email protected]
About Ipsos Public Affairs
Ipsos Public Affairs is a non-partisan, objective, survey-based research practice made up of seasoned professionals. We conduct strategic research initiatives for a diverse number of Canadian American and international organizations, based not only on public opinion research, but elite stakeholder, corporate, and media opinion research.
Ipsos has media partnerships with the most prestigious news organizations around the world. In Canada, Ipsos Public Affairs is the polling partner for Global News. Internationally, Ipsos Public Affairs is the media polling supplier to Reuters News, the world's leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals. Ipsos Public Affairs is a member of the Ipsos Group, a leading global survey-based market research company. We provide boutique-style customer service and work closely with our clients, while also undertaking global research.
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. Ipsos ranks fourth in the global research industry.
With offices in 88 countries, Ipsos delivers insightful expertise across five research specializations: brand, advertising and media; customer loyalty; marketing; 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 €1,782.7 million in 2016.
