A new poll reveals that a majority of Albertans will likely vote “yes” in the October 18, 2021 referendum on equalization payments.
The poll, which was conducted by Mainstreet Research for the Western Standard and the Alberta Institute, indicates that 55% of people polled will support removing equalization from the constitution.
Albertans were asked, “Should Section 36(2) of the Constitution Act, 1982 — Parliament and the Government of Canada’s commitment to the principle of making equalization payments — be removed from the Constitution?”
In response, only 29% said they would vote “no,” while 16% indicated they were undecided on the question.
When broken down based on decided voters, 65.5% said they would support removing equalization while 34.5% opposed the idea.
The poll was conducted between October 12, 2021 and October 13,2021 through automated telephone interviews and included a sample of 935 adults. When weighted the results contain a margin of error of +/- 3.2%.
Men were more likely to indicate voting “yes” with 63.8% supporting equalization while young women were the most likely to vote no, reporting at 34.7% of that demographic.
“We’re encouraged to see that, despite everything going on in provincial politics at the moment, a clear majority of Albertans appear to still be determined to get a better deal for Alberta”, said Alberta Institute President Peter McCaffrey.
“This referendum is just the first step on a long journey, but it is a vital one, and should this result bear out on election day, it will send a very clear message to Ottawa that the status quo is no longer acceptable.”
On Monday, Albertans will be heading to the polls for a variety of elections including electing new mayors, a referendum on water fluoridation and general municipal elections.
