In 2019, 65 per cent of Prairie respondents felt their province was not treated with the respect it deserves – this year, the figure fell to 49 per cent.Todd Korol/The Globe and Mail
The proportion of residents in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta who say their province is not treated with the respect it deserves in Canada has fallen to its lowest level since 2019, says a new poll.
According to the public-opinion polling by the Environics Institute for Survey Research, the proportion of Prairie residents who say their province is treated with the respect it deserves has increased by seven percentage points since last year, to 39 per cent of respondents from 32 per cent.
The research was part of the Confederation of Tomorrow series of studies conducted by an association of public-policy and socio-economic research organizations, including the Canada West Foundation and the Brian Mulroney Institute of Government. The association is exploring Canadian views on issues shaping the federation.
In 2019, 65 per cent of respondents in Prairie provinces answered “no” to the question: “Is your province treated with the respect it deserves in Canada or not.” This year, the figure was 49 per cent.
Canadians’ trust in federal and provincial governments on the decline, survey finds
Among the Prairie provinces, the proportion saying their province is not respected has fallen by seven percentage points in Manitoba and in Saskatchewan, and by eight points in Alberta.
This year’s findings come amidst renewed debate in Alberta over sovereignty, with a process under way in the province to gather signatures for a possible referendum on the issue.
The governments of Alberta, under Premier Danielle Smith, and of Saskatchewan, under Premier Scott Moe, have raised concerns about the policies of federal Liberal governments since 2015 working against their province’s interests.
And federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, campaigning last week in the by-election in the Alberta riding of Battle River-Crowfoot, which he won on Monday, said that the federal Liberals have disrespected the main industries of the region, and maintained laws that are detrimental to the energy sector.
Andrew Parkin, executive director of the Environics Institute, said in an interview that the change in prime ministers from Justin Trudeau to Mark Carney may have had some impact on cooling regional discontent.
He also said the national focus on responding to U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade agenda and his remarks about Canadian sovereignty may also have affected the results by rallying respondents to a Canadian cause.
But he said that as political leaders in Alberta and Saskatchewan mobilize discontent, the efforts may push opponents of that agenda in a different direction, affecting the numbers.
Meanwhile, Charles DeLand, vice-president, research, at the Canada West Foundation said the data show that the concerns on the Prairies aren’t permanent barriers but rather hurdles that can be cleared with the recognition and prioritization of Western Canada’s key role within Confederation.
The foundation is described on its website as an independent, non-partisan think tank focused on issues of relevance to British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
Mr. DeLand said, in a statement, that Western Canada is ready for more trade, so projects that improve rail and port access need to be a priority.
And he added that further initiatives, like a national trade infrastructure plan and energy export strategy, would help make the people and industries on the Prairies feel like they are a priority for Ottawa.
In another finding, the survey found 68 per cent of respondents would prefer the Western provinces remain in Canada.
Among the provinces, the figure stands at 73 per cent in British Columbia, 71 per cent in Manitoba, 62 per cent in Alberta and 60 per cent in Saskatchewan.
Only 5 per cent of respondents in Western Canada support joining the United States, according to the research, with little variation across the provinces.
The research findings are based on a survey of 5,391 adults, conducted between May 1 and June 16.
Ninety per cent of the responses were collected online while the remaining responses were collected by landline and cellphone connections.
Mr. Parkin said online surveys do not have a margin of error because they are not strictly trying to gather random results as telephone surveys do.
In addition to Environics, the Brian Mulroney Institute and the Canada West Foundation, members of the association are the Centre of Excellence on the Canadian Federation, the First Nations Financial Management Board, and the Centre d’analyse politique : Constitution et Fédéralisme.