(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Fewer adults in Canada provide a positive assessment of their country’s finances, according to a poll by Angus Reid Strategies. 68 per cent of respondents rate the economic conditions in Canada as good or very good, down five points since March.

In addition, 48 per cent of respondents expect Canada’s economy to remain the same over the next three months, 41 per cent forecast a decline—up 11 points in two months—and six per cent predict an improvement.

In January 2002, the Canadian dollar was worth $0.61 U.S. In November 2007, the Canadian currency briefly surpassed the $1.10 U.S. mark. Canada has recorded ten straight budget surpluses—the only country in the G-7 to do so. Last month, the national unemployment rate rose to 6.1 per cent, from a 30-year low of 5.8 per cent in February.

Last month, Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper discussed the state of the country’s economy, declaring, "We’ve seen a certain slowing, but the fundamentals of the Canadian economy remain very strong, and I think confidence in the Canadian economy is strong. We’ve taken longer-term measures to try to assure our continued growth in the future."

Polling Data

How would you rate the economic conditions in Canada today?

Over the next three months, do you think the Canadian economy will improve, remain the same, or decline?

Source: Angus Reid Strategies
Methodology: Online interviews with 1,007 Canadian adults, conducted on May 9 and May 10, 2008. Margin of error is 3.0 per cent.

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