Mike Colledge: What Canadians want Carney to care about
Economics matters. Feeling safe matters more.
By: Mike Colledge
Canadians have just lived through an election where one issue — our economic relationship with the United States — dominated the discussion. Newly elected prime minister and former central banker Mark Carney was able to harness Canadians’ growing fears over economic instability and annexation and cobble together a working minority government.
It’s early days, but so far Carney’s new team has taken an economic tack, betting that improving productivity and making Canada the strongest economy in the G7 is the key to success. But commerce and communities are intricately linked, so he’ll need to be careful not to push other important determinants of quality of life below the surface. Access to health care, feeling safe and secure, and having a home may not match the urgent threat posed by the United States, but they do constitute the ingredients for happiness and the quality of life Canadians strive for.
Ipsos asked more than 8,000 Canadians a simple question — what makes somewhere a good place to live? That is, what makes the place where they wake up, go to sleep, gather with their neighbours, and live their lives, desirable?
We found that a prosperous economy was — by far — not the leading indicator of what makes a good community.
Well ahead of a prosperous economy was feeling safe — a must-have for 70 per cent of our respondents. Following closely behind was high-quality health-care services at 65 per cent, tied with affordable housing. So despite the heavy focus on economic renewal during the last federal election, the top attributes of a great place to live are not about the economy alone.
The results suggest that Carney should not overlook the core frustrations of Canadians. As the election campaign drew to a close, the prime minister’s messaging became more singular — it was an election about the economy and our economic relationship with the U.S. This simple, clear message won him the election, but it ignored the critical link between a strong economy and how it can improve the lives of Canadians.
Looking ahead, expect safety to be a constant focus for Canadians, as concerns around crime (due to economic challenges), concerns around Canadian sovereignty (due to ongoing annexation chatter), and concerns about the impact of severe weather are all making Canadians feel less safe. Worries about health services, given governments’ fiscal challenges, our ageing population, and decades of slow change, will also grow until we resolve the shortage of health professionals and access to primary care improves.
Finally, Canadians will be watching all governments closely and with a sense of urgency as they roll out their plans to address the housing crisis both within provinces and across the country.
This is not to say a strong economy is not important. As we move down Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, we find a prosperous economy (39 per cent) is indeed the top second-tier issue. It is joined by access to nature, such as beaches and rivers (36 per cent), and good job prospects (35 per cent). Perhaps this is why Carney named a secretary of state for nature.
Money may not buy happiness, but it does offer a sense of security, makes having a home more affordable, and usually leads to lower crime. It is notable that access to nature sits on par with job prospects. This is not surprising given Canada’s reputation for green spaces, but this attribute is not tied to economic means or personal needs, but rather quality of life. This is another cautionary message for leaders: yes, the economy is important, but it is not the only thing Canadians want (and need) to make a good life.
Once Canadians have secured a safe community, reliable health care, and affordable housing — and they feel the economy is prosperous with good access to jobs in a natural environment they can enjoy — they are then ready to consider the third tier of what makes a good place to live. Things like ease of mobility, access to public transit and a strong sense of community can be found on this tier. After that, we see access to higher education, opportunities for all, decongested roads, and access to a diverse range of shopping, leisure, and dining experiences. After that, we’re into the “nice-to-haves” — watching and participating in sports (10 per cent) and access to cultural spaces like museums, galleries, and festivals (nine per cent).
What is the top priority among all of these necessities? The prime minister does appear to be toppling the first domino — because despite its Tier Two status, ensuring economic prosperity and good job opportunities is the best way to address crime and safety and will go some way toward making housing more affordable. After that, Canadians are asking for improvements in health care and more affordable housing.
We know that not every community will have the same hierarchy of community requirements and attributes, but it is clear that Canadians who feel safe, healthy, and have a roof over their heads are much more likely to feel their leaders are doing their job than those who don’t.
So yes, it is the economy — sort of. But it’s bigger than that. And our new federal government will only succeed if it remembers that.
Mike Colledge is president ESG of Ipsos Canada.
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Fair article but a bit of a muddled message. If a better economy improves almost all safety measures, doesn't it make sense to remain focused on the economy? That seems to be the ultimate conclusion of the article, yet its premise suggests that such would be a mistake.
As an additional point, there is an important distinction between "what makes a place good to live" and "what should the Prime Minister focus on".
While it may be true that feeling safe and secure is a top priority, if most Canadians *do* feel reasonably safe and secure already, yet feel that our economy is in shambles, then once again it makes most sense to focus principally on the economy.
Canada is a public service workers dream environment. Public sector workers are dominant in many aspects of our daily life. The obvious one being healthcare but if we add in schools, universities, daycare, dental care etc. it is easier to understand the recent survey.
We have hundreds of thousands of Canadians across three levels of government who don’t worry much about the economy. Their jobs will carry on regardless of our economic woes and will leverage their monopoly status for wage increases far beyond what private sector workers will get in a economic downturn.
Do these workers skew a survey that ranks economic development far down the list of happiness? Probably somewhat, but it is a positive development to see public safety in the minds of everyone. The open vagrancy in communities all across Canada needs addressing but political causes are hindering progress.