A new poll indicates that inflation and the rising cost of living is a top priority for Canadians as they face the prospect of not being able to provide for their families.
According to an Ipsos poll commissioned by Global News, 78% of Canadians say that the inflation crisis is a top priority.
When it comes to Canadian parents, 60% of those polled with children under the age of 18 said they fret about not having enough money to feed their families. In comparison, only 40% of Canadians overall said the same thing.
“The people who are going to be really slapped around by what’s going on with inflation and rising cost of living are those very precarious members of the younger population who are trying to break into more stable jobs,” Ipsos Public Affairs CEO Darrell Bricker told Global News.
“They’re having difficulty paying for very expensive real estate in our major cities and are also struggling with even starting and raising families, things that people used to take for granted.”
The survey was conducted between November 12 and November 15, 2021 and included a sample of 1,001 Canadians over the age of 18.
According to the poll, those most likely to struggle with concerns about feeding their family were from Alberta. Overall, 54% of Albertans were worried about being able to feed their families.
In comparison, 49% of Quebecers had similar concerts, 48% of people in Atlantic Canada, followed by 44% in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, 40% in Ontario and 38% in BC.
“Alberta was in a very economically precarious position well before anything that’s happening right now. So people are already attuned to be fearful of things changing in the economy,” said Bricker.
“What (inflation) does is it shakes up their sense of stability. And when we shake up somebody’s sense of stability, regardless of what the objective aspects are of their financial situation, they start to feel more imperilled than they did the day before.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has received flack in recent weeks for not being able to get Canada’s inflation crisis under control.
As reported by True North, Macdonald-Laurier Institute domestic policy director Aaron Wudrick blasted the prime minister for barely mentioning inflation or the economic crisis in this week’s throne speech.
“It is understandable that (the Liberals) are focused on the pandemic, but beyond that, much of this throne speech comes across as incredibly disconnected from the day-to-day struggles many Canadians face,” said Wudrick.
