Canadians optimistic about economy, poll finds
OTTAWA – The majority of Canadians are optimistic about the country’s fiscal fortunes heading into 2013, but those sentiments vary by region, suggesting a tale of two countries, according to a new poll.
Western Canadians are slightly more optimistic about the Canadian economy going into the new year, with more than three-quarters of Albertans (77 per cent), Saskatchewanians and Manitobans (76 per cent) and 72 per cent of British Columbians showing bright outlooks for the country’s finances. Two-thirds of Ontarians and Atlantic Canadians believed next year would be a “good” year for the Canadian economy, while just over half of Quebec respondents felt the same way.
The Ipsos-Reid poll conducted for Postmedia News and Global Television also found that, overall, 60 per cent of respondents didn’t believe Canada would enter a recession next year. Of those who believed this country would head into another recession, the responses again showed a regional divide: fewer residents in the West (about one-third of respondents) agreed Canada would enter a recession in 2013 compared to respondents in Atlantic Canada (47 per cent), Ontario (40 per cent) and Quebec (47 per cent). Those results suggest that the economic growth in the West has buoyed expectations relative to the economic fortunes in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada.
But the general sense of optimism is a continuation of a trend that has seen Canadian consumers show more confidence in their economy versus respondents from other countries. In the last monthly poll of consumer confidence in 24 countries, conducted by Ipsos-Reid, Canadian respondents edged past people in Germany.
“On the whole, it’s a little bit like the numbers that were released on the economy,” said John Wright, IpsosReid’s senior vice-president of public affairs. “We grow a little bit, not a lot. It’s a steady growth. …”
The results are also similar to the national sentiment coming out of the recession of the early 1990s, Wright said. People are cautiously optimistic for recovery, he said, but are sensitive to any fiscal changes.
However, Canadians’ confidence in their governments’ ability to handle the economy is not as high. The poll found that since February, Canadians’ approval of the Harper government’s management of the economy is down five points, with 49 per cent of respondents approving of the Conservatives’ fiscal management.