Close to two-thirds of Canadians polled in a new study fear the Canadian economy will suffer if the "fiscal cliff" problem in the U.S. isn’t resolved.
Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney said on Tuesday Canada would be threatened with the possibility of another recession if U.S. President Barack Obama and Congress are unable to cut a deal to avoid major tax hikes and spending cuts set to kick in Jan. 1.
The poll found that 63% of Canadians interviewed are concerned that Canada’s economy will be hurt by the impact of the "fiscal cliff."
The survey also indicates that 54% of those polled are not better off financially than they were a year ago.
Other findings: Ontarians – 31% – and Quebecers – 28% – are the more likely to be pessimistic about the Canadian economy’s performance in 2013. They were the only provinces in the survey above the national average of 26%.
In all, 60% of Ontarians polled and 57% of Atlantic Canadians interviewed say they aren’t better off financially than they were a year ago.
The poll was conducted between Nov. 20 and 27. A sample of 1,277 adult Canadians from the Ipsos Reid online panel participated in the interview.
A survey with an unweighted probability sample of this size and a 100% response rate would have an estimated margin of error of plus or minus 2.7 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
