A slim majority of Manitobans would like their provincial government to call a public inquiry into how Manitoba responded to the COVID-19 pandemic. While 55 per cent are in favour of this idea – which has been proposed by the New Democrats during the provincial election campaign – another 45 per cent of Manitobans are against the idea of holding this type of investigation into how the provincial Progressive Conservative government addressed the different aspects of Manitoba’s pandemic response.

graph showing proportion of Manitobans who support or oppose calling an inquiry into how Manitoba handled the COVID-19 pandemic

Not surprisingly, two-thirds of NDP supporters and six in ten Manitoba Liberal supporters back this call for a public inquiry, compared to just one-third of those who prefer the PCs. Younger adults, those living in Winnipeg and lower-income earners are also more likely to be in favour of investigating the government response to COVID-19.

A significant proportion of Manitobans also say the PC government’s handling of COVID-19 makes them not want to vote for this party. While six in ten say the pandemic response has no real influence on deciding which party to vote for on Oct. 3, fully one-third say this is a major factor that is encouraging them to seek out political party options other than the PCs. Slightly fewer than one in ten affirm that the PC government’s response actually makes them more enthusiastic about voting for this party. Again, younger adults (as well as Winnipeg residents and university graduates) are more likely to report that the PC response to COVID-19 makes them less eager to vote for this party.

graph showing how much the COVID-19 response affects provincial voting intention

About the Probe Research Omnibus

For more than two decades, Probe Research has undertaken quarterly omnibus surveys of random and representative samples of Manitoba adults. These scientific telephone surveys have provided strategic and proprietary insights to hundreds of public, private and not-for-profit clients on a range of social, cultural and public policy topics. The Probe Research Omnibus Survey is the province’s largest and most trusted general population survey.

Disclosure Statement

Probe Research is a member of the Canadian Research Insights Council (CRIC) and confirms that this research fully complies with all CRIC Standards including the CRIC Public Opinion Research Standards and Disclosure Requirements. Learn more at: https://www.canadianresearchinsightscouncil.ca/standards/por/

Methodology

Probe Research surveyed a random and representative sampling of 1,000 adults residing in Manitoba between September 7 and 18, 2023.

With a sample of 1,000, one can say with 95 per cent certainty that the results are within ± 3.1 percentage points of what they would have been if the entire adult population of Manitoba had been surveyed. The margin of error is higher within each of the survey’s population sub-groups.​

The sample consists of 535 Manitobans randomly recruited via live-agent operator and 465 Manitobans randomly recruited via Interactive Voice Response (IVR). All respondents completed the survey on an online platform.

Modified random digit dialing, including both landline and wireless numbers, ensured all Manitoba adults had an equal opportunity to participate in this Probe Research survey.

Minor statistical weighting has been applied to this sample to ensure that age and gender characteristics properly reflect known attributes of the province’s population. All data analysis was performed using SPSS statistical analysis software.​