Most Canadians back invocation of Emergencies Act during 'Freedom Convoy' protests: Nanos

As the inquiry into the federal government's decision to use the Emergencies Act during the 'Freedom Convoy' protests nears the finish line, a new survey has found that two in three Canadians say they support, at least to some degree, the invocation of the Act.

As the inquiry into the federal government's decision to use the Emergencies Act during the 'Freedom Convoy' protests nears the finish line, a new survey has found that two in three Canadians say they support, at least to some degree, the invocation of the Act.

More than 1,000 Canadians were asked about their thoughts on the Emergencies Act in a survey conducted by Nanos Research in the days after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took the stand at the inquiry. Of the respondents, 48 per cent said they support the use of the Emergencies Act, while 18 per cent said they somewhat support the decision.

In addition, 23 per cent said they oppose the use of the Act and seven per cent said they somewhat oppose it.

Support for the use of the Emergencies Act was highest in Atlantic Canada, where 74.6 per cent indicated they support or somewhat support the decision. This was followed by Quebec, where 73.4 per cent said they at least somewhat support the use of the Act.

The strongest opposition to the use of the Act was in the Prairies, where 43.7 per cent said they oppose or somewhat oppose the measure. Canadians aged 55 or older were also more likely to support or somewhat support the use of the Act compared to younger Canadians between the ages of 18 and 35.

When asked about which groups Canadians felt they had the worst impressions of due to the federal inquiry, 46 per cent identified the convoy protesters, while 23 per cent said the federal government. In addition, eight per cent said the Ontario government, while 10 per cent said they have a negative impression of all of these groups.

As well, 40 per cent said the inquiry left them with the best impression of the federal government and 13 per cent said they had the most positive impression of the protesters, while 25 per cent said they were unsure.