The majority of Canadians say they鈥檇 vote for a populist leader, a survey from Simon Fraser University suggests.
The survey, released Monday by the Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue, found that 80 per cent of Canadians would support a leader who stood up for the 鈥渃ommon people鈥� instead of the 鈥渆lite.鈥�
Just over half of Canadians would vote for a 鈥淐anada-first鈥� approach, even if it hurt the country鈥檚 relationships with allies.
The study found 34 per cent of Canadians believe that citizens born in the country should have a greater say in how the country is run, compared to citizens born abroad.
Researchers said those who felt that way tended to be 鈥淐anadian-born, have less formal education, and are struggling financially.鈥�
The study found a 12-percentage-point increase over two years in the number of Canadians who think democracy is the best form of government, up to 77 per cent.
However, just over two-thirds of those surveyed felt like elected officials didn鈥檛 care about what they thought, while 77 per cent believed 鈥渇ake news鈥� was an ongoing issue for Canada.
鈥淭hese findings are part of a decade-old trend, where residents from Canada and abroad are increasingly dissatisfied with the performance of their democratic systems,鈥� said the centre鈥檚 executive director Shauna Sylvester.
鈥淭hese results represent a call to action for all Canadians to avoid hyper-partisanship and for elected officials to create more meaningful ways for Canadians to engage in their democracy beyond the simple act of voting.鈥�
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