Only 1 in 4 Approve of Liberal Government’s Handling of the Trucker Convoy Protest, Poll Shows

People gather on Parliament Hill as the trucker convoy protesting COVID-19 mandates and restrictions stages demonstrations in Ottawa on Jan. 29, 2022. (Jonathan Ren/The Epoch Times)

A new survey shows that only a quarter of respondents approve of how the Liberal government has handled the trucker convoy protest against government-imposed COVID-19 mandates and restrictions.

The survey, published by Innovative Research Group on Feb. 1, says that only 24 percent of respondents approve of the Liberals’ response to the issue, while 34 percent disapprove. The remaining 42 percent neither approve nor disapprove, or “don’t know.”

The demonstration began as a protest by truck drivers against the federal government’s mandate for truckers crossing the Canada-U.S. border to be vaccinated for COVID-19. But the movement has since grown, attracting supporters opposing various government-imposed mandates and restrictions.

When it comes to the Conservatives, the poll showed that only 12 percent approve of their response, while 36 percent disapprove. The remaining 52 percent neither approve nor disapprove, or “don’t know.”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has dismissed the protesters as “fringe minority” holding “unacceptable views.” However, the poll, conducted between Jan. 27 and Jan. 31, shows that his views are in opposition to a large segment of Canada.

According to the poll, less than half of respondents (46 percent) oppose the protest.

The poll found 31 percent of respondents say they support the convoy protest, while 18 percent say they neither support nor oppose it, and another 5 percent say they don’t know.

Among the proponents, support is highest in Alberta and Ontario at 41 percent and 38 percent, while Atlantic Canada and B.C. are the lowest at 16 percent and 24 percent respectively.

The news of the protest convoy in Canada has captured national and international headlines over the past few weeks. The first convoy left the West Coast on Jan. 23, and was joined by other convoys from different parts of the country, converging in Ottawa on Jan. 29. The protest continues, as many say they won’t leave Ottawa until the mandates are lifted.

The trucker protest in Canada has inspired other similar protests around the world, including in Australia.

A previous survey by Angus Reid released on Jan. 31 said that a slim majority (54 percent) of Canadians are in favour of ending the pandemic restrictions—an increase of nearly 15 percentage points from the results of a similar poll conducted in January two weeks earlier, which showed 40 percent in favour.

Innovative Research Group conducted the online survey with a randomized sample of 635 Canadians who are members of its national research panel and additional respondents from Dynata, a leading provider of online samples. The margin of error cannot be calculated as the sample is one of a representative type instead of random probability-based.