WHO WILL LEAD ABORIGINAL FILE?

Choice will signal Liberal priorities

As prime minister- designate Justin Trudeau gets ready to unveil his first cabinet on Wednesday, a new poll shows lukewarm support for some of the Liberal party’s key campaign promises.

More Canadians oppose than support the Liberals’ pledge to resettle 25,000 Syrian refugees by the new year. Same goes for their plan to roll back the Conservative government’s increase to the Tax- Free Savings Account contribution limit.

“There is actually a great deal of belief in this incoming prime minister. People believe in him, they’re excited about him. ( But) on specific policy issues they’re much more milquetoast,” said Shachi Kurl, senior vicepresident at the Angus Reid Institute, which carried out the poll.

“It’s like a road trip. They like the destination, but they may not like all the gas station pit stops along the way.”

On the Liberals’ ambitious plan to resettle 25,000 Syrian refugees by Jan. 1, a slim majority — 51 per cent — of respondents said they oppose the idea, while 39 per cent said they support it.

The reason for the opposition is not clear. Some refugee advocates, while lauding the goal, have expressed concerns over whether there is enough time to ensure all the incoming refugees’ needs — such as suitable housing — will be met when they arrive in Canada.

The Liberals have said they plan to stick to their commitment.

Canadians are also not so keen on one of the Liberals’ key economic policies: the rolling back of the Tax- Free Savings Account contribution limit to $ 5,500 from $ 10,000.

Fifty per cent of respondents said they oppose the plan, while 36 per cent support it.

During the election, Trudeau set himself apart from the Conservatives and NDP by announcing he would run deficits of up to $ 10 billion over each of the next three years to pay for infrastructure projects. But poll respondents were equally divided on this plan with 43 per cent opposed, and 43 per cent in favour.

It’s a notable change in attitude. Earlier in the campaign, when the same pollster asked Canadians to choose between a government that spent more in the next year, even if it meant deficits in the short term, versus a government that balanced the budget in the next year, 73 per cent opted for the former.

The tepid support now for Trudeau’s deficit plan may be because “Canadians are considering ( it) in a much more pointed and specific way,” Kurl said.

Still, when asked how they felt overall about the election outcome, 57 per cent said they were pleased. Support was strongest in B. C., Quebec and the Atlantic Provinces.

The poll was conducted Oct. 26- 29 among 1,504 Canadians. It carries a margin of error of plus- or- minus 2.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.