Doug Ford is finding traction with Ontario voters by talking about government accountability, affordability and cutting waste, suggests a new survey examining why the PC party is ahead in the polls.At the same time, Premier Kathleen Wynne’s key talking points — boosting the minimum wage and pharmacare — appear at the bottom of a list of priorities for the electorate, says Campaign Research based on its recent poll of voters.“From the Liberal perspective, I would be a bit surprised at things like pharmacare ... and minimum wage, that those aren’t higher on the scale. That’s what the Liberals are talking about almost exclusively, and the throne speech expanded on those,” Campaign Research CEO Eli Yufest said.“On one hand, the Liberals are continuing with those policies when we know they’re not what’s really important (to voters) ... On the flip side, what primarily the PCs and Doug Ford are talking about — affordability and accountability and cutting waste in government — these things are driving voters to consider voting for the party or the leader.”Using a 1,637-person online panel, Campaign Research conducted the survey between March 12 and 14, finding that “making life more affordable for Ontarians” and “accountability to the citizens of Ontario” are the two most “overt” policy planks valued by voters, followed by “improving the health-care system,” and “cutting waste in government.”Accountability was the top policy area, rated as “extremely important” by 61 per cent of those surveyed, followed by accountability (60 per cent), and improving health care and cutting government waste (tied at 59 per cent). Boosting the minimum wage was extremely important to just 22 per cent of those polled, with support for the sex-ed curriculum and support for cap-and-trade/carbon tax tied for last (17 per cent). Read more:Doug Fo ...
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