Toronto – A new poll done for OPSEU has found almost 60 per cent of respondents dislike living in Ontario with Doug Ford as Premier and even Conservative supporters remain less than lukewarm toward him.
OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas says the Innovative Research poll is further evidence that Ford is swimming against the tide and that Ontarians don’t like the direction he’s taking.
“This confirms what we’re hearing every day,” said Thomas. ”Ontarians don’t like a premier who is mean to children with autism, they don’t like a premier who is savaging our health care and education systems, they don’t like a premier who only cares about rewarding his own cronies.
“Doug when are you going to start actually listening to ‘the people’?”
The survey, which interviewed 600 people between April 18th to the 28th and has a margin of error of +/- four per cent, also found that respondents who identified as Progressive Conservatives aren’t giving Ford a ringing endorsement. Barely half (52 per cent) said they think Ford is his party’s best choice as premier.
“Members of Ford’s caucus should take note of that,” Thomas said. “Your supporters aren’t comfortable with decisions like privatizing cannabis sales or putting beer and wine in convenience stores.”
“You should stop being afraid of Ford enforcers like Dean French and stand up for your constituents in caucus and in the legislature when it comes to voting for his legislation.
OPSEU asked several questions in the omnibus poll, among the other findings:
- 77 per cent of Ontarians remain concerned about cuts to public services
- 52 per cent are unhappy with Doug Ford appointing his friends and cronies to lucrative government jobs.
- 38 per cent felt the Ford government’s recent budget will leave them worse off, only seven per cent of those asked feel the budget will help them.
The results are in line with a poll OPSEU commissioned last year that ranked Doug Ford as one of the biggest problems Ontario faced.
“I’ve yet to come across a poll in which Ontarians say Doug Ford is headed in the right direction,” said Thomas. “Polls may be just a snapshot, but there are enough snapshots of unhappy Ontarians to fill a photo album.”
“There are a lot of good people in the Conservative caucus who are in politics for the right reason, it’s time for you to pull on the leash and rein in the pit bull premier and his litigious crybaby chief of staff Dean French who are making a mess of it.”
For more information: Warren (Smokey) Thomas, 613-329-1931