Article content continued

The concern about the health of Canada’s democracy is so deep that 56 per cent support the notion that voting in this country should be mandatory, as it is in Australia and Brazil.

The poll was commissioned by Canada 2020, which promotes “progressive solutions” to Canada’s policy problems.

EKOS president Frank Graves said the new polling data show a significant shift in public opinion.

“Values are pretty glacial things,” said Graves. “They don’t typically shift that much but they seem to be moving as a response to, I think, being governed from the right.”

For years, he said, there were no major differences between the Liberals and Progressive Conservatives. But that changed in 2006 when Harper came to power under a new Conservative banner that included previous members of the Reform party.

Harper won three elections with that new political “style” and policy “emphasis,” said Graves.

“They were OK with it for a while,” he said of Canadians, “but it seems now they are going, ‘No, that’s enough.’ ”

On that point, the poll shows where Canadians stand on what could be a ballot box question in the 2015 election.

The Liberals and New Democrats are advocating new programs in a range of areas, although the details haven’t been sketched out. The Conservatives, by contrast, have been touting the importance of lean government and tax cuts.

Ekos found 57 per cent of Canadians say the best option for moving Canada forward is by “increasing the role of government to invest in new areas such as job creation, public infrastructure, and stronger social security.”