Premier Doug Ford is enjoying a political honeymoon with Ontario voters, a new poll suggests.The Campaign Research survey found Ontarians like Ford’s plan to do a “line-by-line audit” of government spending with 69 per cent in favour, 12 per cent opposed, and 20 per cent having no opinion.His decision to impose a hiring freeze across much of the public service was embraced by 55 per cent of those polled with 26 per cent disapproving and 19 per cent unsure.And Ford’s move to hold the line on civil service executive compensation by freezing raises until the audit is done was approved by 61 per cent, opposed by 19 per cent with another 19 per cent having no opinion.“He is having a honeymoon,” Campaign Research CEO Eli Yufest said Friday.“The early policies of Premier Ford’s mandate have been met with widespread support among Ontarians,” Yufest said of the Tory leader who defeated former premier Kathleen Wynne’s Liberals in the June 7 election.Using an online panel of 1,480 Ontario voters, the Campaign Research poll was conducted Monday and Tuesday. A probability sample of that size would have a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.The survey found Ontarians are torn on Ford’s controversial decision to exit from the province’s cap-and-trade environmental alliance with Quebec and California.Asked whether they agreed with his cancelling of cap-and-trade, 37 per cent were in favour, 38 per cent opposed, and 25 per cent had no opinion.The pollster expanded upon that in a follow up question that found Ontarians similarly split between the view that cap and trade drives up energy prices and those who feel it is critical to reducing carbon emissions to fight climate change while bringing in revenue.When framed in that way, 54 per cent support the decision to abandon the greenhouse gas reduction system while 46 per cent oppose the move.“It requires a bit of ex ...
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