“Nine out of 10 identify rising cost of living as a greater concern than job or income security”
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Canadians are poised to end the emergency financial support from the government that kept many afloat during the pandemic, according to a new survey from the Angus Reid Institute.
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The pollster examined current views on the Canadian Recovery Benefit (CRB) and similar programs that compensate individuals, organizations and businesses for job losses and lockdowns related to COVID-19.
“(The) majority want benefits to end before next year, including two out of five who would cut them immediately,” said an Angus Reid statement released Wednesday. “Nine out of 10 identify the rising cost of living as a greater concern than job or income security.”
The findings came as Stats Canada reported that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 4.4% year-on-year in September, up from 4.1% in August, driven by higher prices for gasoline, housing and prices. food.
Meanwhile, companies say they are struggling to find enough workers.
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Noting that five emergency benefit programs are scheduled to end on October 23, Angus Reid said that the Justin Trudeau administration will decide next steps.
The survey found that 41% of Canadians want support programs to end, including 29% who are receiving the funds.
Another 16% see the end of the year as a good time to say goodbye to the shows, while two-thirds of Canadians think they should leave next June.
One in four respondents want the benefits to last until the pandemic ends, and almost one in 10 believes it would be better to keep them for another year after the pandemic.
“What drives these opinions? Canadians have inflation in mind, ”says Angus Reid’s statement. “Nine out of ten (87%) say that going forward, the rising cost of living worries them more than the prospect of losing their job or income (13%). In fact, 45% of Canadians report that it is currently difficult or very difficult for them to feed their household, a figure that rises to nine out of ten (92%) of the most economically vulnerable. “
Angus Reid surveyed 5,011 Canadian adults online who are members of his forum between September 29 and October 3, and a comparable sample of this size would have a margin of error of 2 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
Reference-torontosun.com