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“I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind.” ~~ John G. Diefenbaker

JOHN FELDSTED -- Clearly, Canadians have problems with knowing who or what to trust and are leery of all political parties


Canadians wary of politicians and their intentions ... a survey by Angus Reid published June 24 is rather revealing.

Nearly two-thirds (64%) say politicians cannot be trusted, and one-third (32%) believe they are primarily motivated by “personal gain” rather than a genuine desire to serve their communities.

Public dissatisfaction with elected officials is most prevalent when discussing federal government. Moreover, four-in-ten Canadians (38%) feel the quality of federal candidates in their area has worsened in the past five to 10 years.

Two-thirds (67%) of Canadians believe it is an advantage for candidates to have previous work experience outside of politics.

CLICK HERE for the full story


What is particularly interesting is that political parties have done this to themselves. No one pushed them into making promises they could not keep or had not intention of keeping. No one pushed them into thinking that paying for surveys would tell them what the electorate needed or how they feel about how they are governed.

The gap between electors and Members of Parliament have never been wider. Back-benchers are kept from speaking on issues and told how they will vote. We are governed by political party officials not by people who we elect.

Most of us are tired of it. We deserve and want better.

Let’s take a moment to highlight the chasm between electors, and the elected, in an Abacus Data survey released July 6th.

For every Canadian (17%) who thinks the world is heading in the right direction, almost four (62%) feel that it is off on the wrong track. Almost identical numbers feel the same way about the US: 18% say it is heading in the right direction, 70% say America is off on the wrong track.

This is something that majorities of supporters of all parties see; it is the majority view in all regions and across all generations.

Canadians are quite a bit more likely to say things are heading in the right direction here (35%) compared to the US or the world in general, but the plurality of Canadians continue to feel the country is headed off on the wrong track (43%).

The mood of the country has remained static over the past few months. 

Liberal Party supporters (68%) feel Canada is headed in the right direction, while Conservative supporters are the least likely to feel this way (17%). NDP and Green Party supporters have mixed opinions with about three in ten feeling things are headed in the direction and about four in ten feeling they are off on the wrong track.

While positive feelings about the direction of the United States and the world have remained static since we started tracking them, views on Canada have dropped. Today 35% approve of the performance of Justin Trudeau’s government, while 47% disapprove. In April approval stood at 32%.


  • 20% of 2015 Liberal voters say they would not consider voting Liberal today. Most have shifted towards the Conservatives (56%), while 30% would vote NDP (15%) or Green (15%).
  • Only 5% of past Conservative Party voters say they would no longer consider voting for the Conservatives.
  • For the NDP, 15% of 2015 NDP voters remain open to voting for the party this year, almost half of whom live in Quebec. The biggest challenge for the NDP remains conversion of “willing to consider” to “would vote for them today”: just 29% of those who would consider the NDP would cast a ballot for the NDP today. As many (28%) would vote Liberal, 15% would vote Conservative, and 10% Green.


Read on: https://abacusdata.ca/tight-race-between-conservatives-and-liberals-continues-as-voter-fluidity-remains-high/

Clearly, Canadians have problems with knowing who or what to trust and are leery of all political parties. We are hoping for the best from a pool of dubious choices.

We hope that some leader will step forward with a credible plan for the future during the 106 days remaining to election day.

If no one steps out, we have a real problem. 


John Feldsted
Political Consultant & Strategist
Winnipeg, Manitoba
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