It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. Depends on which poll Dickens consulted before writing his classic on the French Revolution. Fortunately, A Tale of Two Cities had no great expectations of mirroring events and opinions exactly. As a work of historical fiction the statements made by the characters need not have reflected what made London and Paris, England and France as different as they were.

What comes through with clarity in Dickens’ socially critical writing is the tenor of the times, the unhappiness and displeasure felt by people both in France as well as in England. In those days public opinion was not measured through politically proper prisms, gauged on a discontenment meter, results trumpeted on the front pages of civic duty-minded clarions. Revolutions and uprisings were the vehicles through which social change was attempted. The liberal interpretation of that form of hard data known as statistics should most always be taken with a grain of salt. The famous expression of there being three forms of political prevarication - lies, damn lies and statistics - holds true more often than not when considering how, through polling, public opinion is not necessarily measured, but influenced.

Its all in how you taradiddle, my dear. Consider two polls released last week, both “commisioned” to “find out” what Canadians thought about the state of the nation prior to July 1st, Canada Day, a day when people of all persuasions, backgrounds, and in Toronto particularily, of all possible private preferences, are encouraged to flaunt their uniqueness. One national poll was commisioned by the Toronto Star, carried out by EKOS Research Associates. The results were published in the Canada Day issue, front page, right beside a 4 column, 7 inch photograph of dubious taste, the caption claiming that the Pride parade was a form of celebrating freedom. Quite the juxtaposition.

In its barest bones form the Star/EKOS poll was conducted nationally, by telephone, questiooning 1,217 adult Canadians about their identity, economic future, the ability to handle change in the post 9-11 world. The Star concluded that Canada is growing stronger, American values are being rejected, social and cultural assimilation into the American mainstream is not happening. All fine and worthy statements, reinforcing the meek mantra spoken north of the 49th parallel that we are socially more responsible than our southern neighbours. Why, just look at our health care system, universally accesible to all those willing to wait six months for a CAT scan. Why quibble about details, why question the intrusion of the government into our daily life, no longer creeping so at a petty pace, but quickening noticeably.

In order to swallow the Star/Ekos poll results, they must be considered along with another national poll, conducted by Roper ASW that old a different tale, a tale of two Canadas if you will. How does the government finance all these wonderful programs that guarantee our individuality, universal health care, in fact the very essence that, according to the Star poll is making us stronger? Taxes, on top of taxes.

The Roper ASW poll compared Canada and the USA, asking questions from citizens of both bastions of freedom about government, taxation, border security - the types of issues that deal with more concrete issues, rather than ether

The results were not surprising. In a nutshell, Canadians do not believe that they are receiving good government. Although the Constitution promises peace, order and good government, Canadians feel that their tax dollars are poorly spent. Let’s not forget that one of the stereotypical views held by Canadians of our American cousins is that they are wary of government - all the amendments of the American Constitution exist to guarantee individual freedoms and liberties. Surprise: Canadians have a deeper distrust of their various levels of government, according to the survey. 68% of Americans polled trusted their federal government to do a good job; only 46% of Canadians felt the same way.

Canadians also expressed a greater resentment about taxation. They did trust provincial governments more than the federal one, local government came out the worst. Hardly news, when one considers how Chrétien has downloaded so many responsibilities to municipal governments. The present strike in Toronto, for instance, proves to many taxpayers, that they are not getting a fair return for their taxes. Sales taxes - ever since the imposition of the GST - rankle citizens of Canada far more than they do Americans. Almost half of those polled objected to this governmental grab as opposed to 12% of the yanks. Curiously, property taxes were seen as least offensive in Canada, but for Americans, it was the biggest annoyance.

Most telling from a comparative view, was the statement of Andrew Parkin, research director of the Centre for Research and Information Canada. Parkin reacted to the poll by stating that the strong dislikes about taxation, the “view of a good number of Canadians that no level of government gives the most for your money all show that the negative public attitudes towards governments that defined the country’s politics have not waned.” Without government, anarchy reigns; it is a necessary evil. As Dickens pointed out so clearly, the tops get toppled when the have-nots are pushed far enough. Complacency, a belief in nebulous hard-to-express catch-alls like national identity will do little to change already entrenched passive attitudes.

While the Madame Lafarges click their knitting needles with beatific smiles on Parliament Hill, those like the Toronto Star, entrusted with providing news, not skewed opinion poll results, pretend there is nothing wrong. There most certainly is, and it is high time that elected representatives, well compensated by the taxpayers, heed the warning signs as expressed in the ASW Roper poll.

Arvamus

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