Trusting federal and provincial government decision-making on key issues

Canadians are losing trust in the ability of both the federal government and their provincial governments to deal with key issues such as health care, climate change, immigration or the economy.

Since 2019, the annual Confederation of Tomorrow surveys have asked which government Canadians trust more to make the right decisions in different policy areas. A growing number of Canadians say they trust neither level of government to address these key issues. This pattern is evident across all regions of the country.

The survey shows that the proportions trusting the federal government more, or trusting both levels of government equally, have declined. Despite this, there has been no increase in the proportion trusting their provincial governments more. In other words, Canadians have not shifted their trust over time from the federal government to their
provincial government.

Read the report.

The Confederation of Tomorrow surveys give voice to Canadians about the major issues shaping the future of the federation and their political communities. They are conducted annually by an association of the country’s leading public policy and socioeconomic research organizations:the Environics Institute for Survey Research, the Centre of Excellence on the Canadian Federation, the Canada West Foundation, the Centre D’Analyse Politique – Constitution et Fédéralisme, the Brian Mulroney Institute of Government and the First Nations Financial Management Board.

The 2024 study consists of a survey of 6,036 adults, conducted between January 13 and April 13, 2024 (82% of the responses were collected between January 17 and February 1); 94% of the responses were collected online. The remaining responses were collected by telephone from respondents living in the North or on First Nations reserves.

For more information, contact Dr. Andrew Parkin or the Environics Institute for Survey Research.