The elites in Canada are about to be hit by a tidal wave of anti-establishment sentiment. The country is ripe for a populist uprising.

People are losing faith in government. Their trust in media is further slipping. Even non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are taking a hit in the public’s eye.

If the elites don’t get their act in order, ordinary folks will see to it that they’re toast at the next available opportunity.

This isn’t me talking. This is a report from one of the world’s leading public affairs firms.

“Canada can no longer count itself immune from the global trend of populism and sinking institutional trust,” reads a release from Edelman.

They’ve just released their 17th annual Trust Barometer, a massive global opinion survey, and this is the first year the results put Canadian sentiment clearly in the anti-establishment category alongside the U.K., United States and France.

The survey was conducted over a long-ranging period that straddled the U.S. presidential election, from last Oct. 13 to Nov. 16.

The report includes such gems as “80% of people think the elites who run institutions are out of touch with regular people” and “69% say we need to prioritize Canadian interests over the rest of the world.” No kidding.

Clearly, people feel too many key issues are all out of whack. They watched as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s first major announcements were to pull our jets out of the ISIS fight and hand out massive sums of taxpayer dollars to other countries.

They’re watching now as prices at the pumps, heating bills and other consumer products rise in Ontario and Alberta thanks to irrational carbon taxes that experts admit won’t actually benefit the environment. Meanwhile, they read headlines about new road tolls and increased user fees. It’s always the little guy who’s asked to pay more.

Along the way, if people from any and all walks of life dare to talk about Canadian values, they’re chastised as small-minded proletarians by their supposed betters in the chattering classes.

The question clearly isn’t why the elites in Canada are now targets. The question, given everything that’s going on, is why this hasn’t happened sooner. Regardless, the pieces are now in place for it.

Amusingly, even Edelman’s write-up can’t avoid falling prey to smug elitism: “A 15-point gap exists between institutional trust among informed public and the mass population. This gap is nearly twice what it was last year. It is the biggest recorded gap noted between these two groups and is approaching the gaps in countries like the U.S., U.K. and France (21, 19 and 18 respectively).”

“Informed public” vs. “mass population”? Ha. Not quite.

The whole reason the establishment is against the ropes is because these days the last thing they are is informed to what’s really going on.

CANADIANS ARE WORRIED ABOUT FUTURE

Canadians don’t trust business, media or government, an annual survey by global communications marketing firm Edelman has found.

“Canada is not immune from the impact of the global trust crisis. In fact, we’re seeing similar trend lines as our neighbours in the United States,” Lisa Kimmel, president and CEO, Edelman Canada, said in a release.

“Canadians are telling us they are worried about their futures and don’t trust our institutions to fix their concerns.”

Edelman has conducted an annual “Trust Barometer” survey for the past 17 years, and for the first time since the survey began, “Canada finds itself among countries who distrust their institutions,” Edelman said.

Key findings of the survey include:

Trust in government — Down 10 points. 63% of people blame government for our problems. 66% hold them responsible to fix it.

Trust in Media — Down 10 points. 60% said they are more likely to believe a search engine compared to 40% trusting a human editor. More than half said they trust their own research and assessment of issues.

Trust in Business — Down 6 points. 53% of Canadians agree that the pace of change in business is too fast, 48% are worried globalization is taking us in the wrong direction, and trust in CEOs is at an all-time low, dropping 12 points to 25%.

“Canada needs to confront its challenges head on with an appreciation for the fundamental shift that has occurred in influence, from elites to populist power,” Kimmel suggested. “The imperative to regain trust in Canadian institutions has never been greater.”

Among Canadians emerging fears and concerns:

One in two surveyed agree believe the influx of people from other countries is damaging Canada’s economy and national culture.

80% think the elites who run institutions are out of touch with regular people.

61% do not have confidence that Canada’s current leaders will manage to successfully solve Canada’s challenges.

48% agreed globalization is taking Canada in the wrong direction.

69% say we need to prioritize Canadian interests over the rest of the world.

The survey consisted of 25-minute online interviews conducted on Oct. 13-Nov. 16, 2016 of 1,150 general population respondents aged 18 and over.

afurey@postmedia.com