Listening to Canadians: 19th Annual Report on Government of Canada Public Opinion Research Activities

In a democratic society like we have in Canada, it befalls the government’s elected officials to govern the country with the citizens’ best interest in mind. Listening to and taking into account the views of the public helps the Government of Canada manage its strategic priorities. This is why the Government of Canada works hard to ascertain which issues Canadians care about, as well as understand their views on how to address these issues.

The Government of Canada has at its disposal various tools to learn about the diversity of views and interests of the public. One of these tools is public opinion research which provides the government with key insights that contribute to evidence-based decision making.

Thanks to these new insights, the government becomes better equipped to adapt its communications approach, policies or programs that consider the views and interests of Canadians from all regions of the country and from all segments of the population. These segments include women, Indigenous Peoples, members of visible and linguistic minorities, people with disabilities, and members of the LGBTQ2 communities.

For instance, in the latter part of the 2019 to 2020 fiscal year, the Government of Canada began focusing most of its public opinion research on the COVID-19 pandemic. These research findings were one of many key sources of data used by the Government of Canada to help it determine how to respond effectively to the crisis.

With the goal to better inform Canadians about its efforts in collecting their views, the Government of Canada publishes annually a report listing its research activities and the money invested. This 19th annual report gives a concise overview of all the public opinion research projects contracted between April 1, 2019 and March 31, 2020. Appendices are also added to explain how these projects are contracted and managed.