Canadians’ Priorities Ahead of Throne Speech Include Pandemic Measures and Economy, Poll Finds

Gov. Gen. Julie Payette waves towards the gallery as she participates in a Royal Assent ceremony in the Senate Chamber on Parliament Hill on Thursday, Dec. 13, 2018. The speech from the throne marks the beginning of every new Parliament, which comes after a general election, as is the case this year, or following a prorogation. It is read in the Senate by the Governor General, who this time around is Julie Payette, a former astronaut who is reading the speech for the first time since she was named to the vice-regal post in 2017.The Canadian Press/Justin Tang

Health measures to fight the pandemic, getting people back to work, and lowering taxes and the deficit are some of the top priorities for Canadians ahead of the throne speech on Wednesday, according to a new Ipsos poll.

“The biggest priority item for Canadians, they tell us, is support for health care initiatives to fight COVID,” Ipsos CEO Darrell Brickers told Global News, for whom the poll was conducted.