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| Martin health plan gets 48% support - Wednesday, February 11, 2004 at 10:11 |
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PUBLICATION GLOBE AND MAIL ------------------------------------------------------------------------ According to an Ipsos-Reid-Globe and Mail-CTV survey released yesterday, 48 per cent of Canadians agree that Mr. Martin's health care plans are good, while 30 per cent do not view his plans positively. Twenty-two per cent did not volunteer an opinion. "People are adopting a wait-and-see approach," on Mr. Martin's health care plan, Darrell Bricker of Ipsos-Reid said. "The numbers are polite at best." The poll also found a majority of Canadians want to see the gun registry dismantled and the country is still split on the issue of same-sex marriage -- two other hot-button issues faced by Mr. Martin's government. The Throne Speech, to be delivered by Governor-General Adrienne Clarkson, is to focus on broadening access to postsecondary education, strengthening the health-care system, improving environmental technologies and creating new funding mechanisms for cities. It comes days after Mr. Martin delivered on a promise to the provinces of a one-time, $2-billion injection into the health-care system. It is expected the speech will go beyond hospital waiting lists to emphasize the need for a strong federal public-health agency. Officials have said the government will cite the SARS crisis, the bird flu and other public-health threats to call for quick work in setting up a national body to co-ordinate responses. The poll surveyed 1,055 adult Canadians between Jan. 13 and Jan. 15 and is considered accurate within 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
The poll also found Canadians are increasingly polarized on the issues of the gun registry and same-sex marriage. "It's become much more divisive," Mr. Bricker said of the poll results on both issues. The Liberal government announced recently that it would expand its same-sex marriage reference to the Supreme Court, a move that antagonized supporters of gay and lesbian marriage. In the poll, 47 per cent of Canadians say the government should allow same-sex marriage, while 48 per cent oppose such a move. Five per cent had no opinion. Canadians have remained split on the issue since it was announced last year that the federal government would legalize same-sex marriage in response to court rulings in three provinces that marriage laws are unconstitutional. The government added another question to the its reference on whether the traditional definition of marriage violates the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. A slim majority of those surveyed -- 52 per cent -- said Mr. Martin should scrap the gun registry, while 43 per cent believe it should not be dismantled. In a December, 2002 poll, 53 per cent of Canadians said it should be scrapped. Mr. Martin said this month it is common sense to review the registry. The gun registry, introduced during former prime minister Jean Chretien's tenure, came under scrutiny after a blistering Auditor-General's report blamed the government for its astronomical cost overruns. Initially budgeted at $2-million, its implementation is now expected to cost taxpayers a total of $1-billion. Poll results: Guns; marriage and health care 1,000 people were read the following statements about Canada's new Prime Minister, Paul Martin, and they were asked if they agreed or disagreed. Should get rid of Canada's federal gun registry Should change Canada's marriage laws to include same sex couples Has a good plan for dealing with our health care system |