More Than 6-in-10 Approve of PM Question Period

More Than 6-in-10 Approve of PM Question Period

Half approve of electronic voting in the House of Commons

Toronto, April 26^th – In a random sampling of public opinion taken by The Forum Poll™ amongst 1479 Canadian voters, (61%) would support the introduction of a special Question Period in the House of Commons dedicated to asking only the prime minister questions. (17%) would oppose such a Question Period, with (22%) saying they don’t know.

Respondents most likely to say that they support the special Question Period include those aged 35-44 (65%), 45-54 (63%), earning $60,000-$80,000 (66%) or $80,000-$100,000 (66%), living in Alberta (64%) or Manitoba/Saskatchewan (63%), and supporting the NDP (71%). Those who have completed some college/university (67%) are also likely to approve of this special Question Period.

Respondents most likely to oppose a special Question Period include those aged 65 and over (22%), earning $60,000-$80,000 (20%) or the most wealthy (22%), living in Atlantic Canada (20%), Alberta (21%), or BC (19%), and with a post-graduate degree (22%).

5-in-10 approve of e-voting in the legislature

Half (50%) of voters approve of the introduction of electronic voting into the House of Commons. A third (33%) disapprove, with (17%) saying they don’t know.

Respondents most likely to approve of the introduction of electronic voting by MPs include those aged 45-54 (57%), males (53%), the most wealthy (61%), living in Québec (54%) or Ontario (52%), and supporting the Liberals (62%). Those with a post-graduate degree (62%) are also likely to support electronic voting by MPs.

Respondents most likely to disapprove include those aged 34 and younger (36%), 55-64 (35%), or 65+ (34%), the least wealthy (38%) or earning $20,000-$40,000 (38%), living in Alberta (40%), and supporting the Conservatives (42%). The least educated (43%) are also likely to disapprove of electronic voting in the House of Commons.

“The majority support the less controversial measures introduced by the Liberals to reform the House of Commons, such as the Prime Minister’s Question Period and e-voting for MPs. In fact, six in ten think asking the Prime Minister more questions is a good idea,” said Dr. Lorne Bozinoff, President of Forum Research.

Lorne Bozinoff, Ph.D. is the president and founder of Forum Research. He can be reached at lbozinoff@forumresearch.com or at (416) 960-9603.