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The four western provinces face a variety of policy challenges and opportunities in the years ahead. Myriad issues — from health care, education and the environment to the economy, infrastructure and the urban agenda — compete for political attention and funding dollars. The Looking West 2004 survey examined a variety of policy issues to help western Canadians and their governments better understand the opinions and attitudes of a wide range of people.
Western Directions presents an analysis of the Looking West 2004 policy attitudes data. It should be noted that the survey also collected data in the four western provinces and Ontario on a variety of federalism issues, including treatment by the federal government, Senate reform, separatism, and western alienation. These data are presented in Regional Distinctions: An Analysis of the Looking West 2004 Survey (Calgary: Canada West Foundation), released in March 2004. Key findings include:
While almost three-quarters of westerners feel that improving the health care system is a high priority, it is not the only policy issue that western Canadians see as important. Ensuring skilled labour, reducing poverty, and protecting the environment were all ranked as high priorities by almost two-thirds of westerners.
When asked about the future of their provinces, western Canadians are divided between optimism and expectations of the status quo. BC respondents are the most optimistic, while Saskatchewan respondents are the most pessimistic.
Westerners have greater confidence in their provincial government's policies to help their provincial economies than they do in the federal government's policies.
Westerners feel that Canada should pursue stronger economic ties with the United States and should make every effort to keep the Canada-US border open to Canadian trade. Almost nine in ten westerners feel that the Canada-US relationship has deteriorated in recent years; causes cited for this deterioration are divided between trade disputes, the Iraq war, and a poor personal relationship between former Prime Minister Chretien and President Bush.
The majority of western Canadians feel their local government has too little revenue to meet its current responsibilities. In the event that their local government needed additional revenues, six in ten prefer increased local taxes over reduced local services. Westerners continue to prefer property taxes to the idea of a local sales tax.
Westerners do not have overwhelmingly positive opinions about how governments are handling environmentalstewardship, but clearly see the provincial government in a better light than the federal government.
Author: Dr. Loleen Berdahl
Author(s): Dr. Loleen Berdahl
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