At the ballot box: Will COVID-19 impact how we choose our next leaders?
It seems like a millennia ago that Canadian citizens were asked to go to the ballot box. Since the pandemic, the majority of politicians have focused on dealing with various state of emergencies or implementing policies to help curb the spread of COVID-19.
Now, with a year before a provincial election and the possibility of the Prime Minister dropping the writ, the nature of politics is returning in full swing.
A few months ago, political strategists told CTV News Toronto the 2022 Ontario election will serve as a referendum of Premier Doug Ford’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, with voters focusing on how the Progressive Conservatives dealt with the lockdowns and reopenings.
Meanwhile, a July Nanos survey found that if a federal election were called, the economy would be the key issue for voters.
“It looks like Canadians are starting to pivot away from the pandemic,” said Nanos Research's Nik Nanos at the time. “And during the next election, they're going to want to hear about the economy and jobs. They're going to want to hear about the environment, about the deficit, about health care.”
In episode 5 of Life Unmasked, the team speaks with Queen’s Park Bureau Chief Colin D’Mello and CTV News Parliamentary Bureau Chief Annie Bergeron-Oliver about what comes next—how the pandemic will influence the upcoming elections and politics in the near future.
Life Unmasked airs first on the iHeart app every Thursday morning before becoming available on other streaming platforms. A bonus episode about how journalism has had to adapt throughout the pandemic will also be released over the weekend.
If you have questions for the podcast team, or an idea for an episode, please email lifeunmasked@bellmedia.ca.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Pilot reported fire onboard plane carrying fuel, attempted to return to Fairbanks just before crash
One of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both people on board, a federal aviation official said Wednesday.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
7 surveillance videos linked to extortions of South Asian home builders in Edmonton released
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'