As MPPs return to the legislature after an extended, 14-week winter break, new polling suggests a majority of the population believes the government is failing in its promise to “protect Ontario” across a series of key areas.

A survey conducted by Ipsos exclusively for Global News’ Focus Ontario asked people how well they thought Premier Doug Ford was protecting Ontario on a number of files.

A majority believed he was doing a very poor or somewhat poor job on all categories except for increasing interprovincial trade.

The poll asked: “How well do you feel Doug Ford is protecting Ontario when it comes to each of the following issues:”

• Increasing inter-provincial trade
• Tariffs being imposed by President Trump
• The economy and jobs
• Education
• Healthcare
• Corruption in government
• The provincial debt level/deficit
• Making things more affordable
• Housing

While the province’s response to international and intergovernmental issues is viewed relatively favourably, its scores for housing, health care, education and the economy all make for bleak reading.

“Dealing with Donald Trump, dealing with interprovincial trade, Doug Ford does as well as anybody,” Ipsos’ Darrell Bricker explained. “But when it comes to what is actually happening in people’s individual lives, that’s where the numbers get troubling.”

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Just 26 per cent of those polled said Ford was doing a good job of protecting Ontario when it comes to the issue of housing and only 27 per cent thought he was doing very well or somewhat well at making things more affordable.

A mere 32 per cent thought Ford and his government were doing a good job at handling debt, and 34 per cent said they had a good record on corruption.

On education, 37 per cent of people think the government is doing a good job, one point higher than the 36 per cent who believe Ford is handling health care well.

“No one in this province believes the health-care system is doing well and feels optimistic about its future,” political strategist Jamie Ellerton said. “Talk to parents across the province, they feel frustrated with the state of the education system.”

The government scores relatively well on its handling of United States President Donald Trump (49 per cent approve) and interprovincial trade (53 per cent) — but those are the two issue-specific bright spots.

The issue-by-issue analysis comes as part of a broader poll that found a majority of Ontarians believe the province is heading in the wrong direction, but — if an election were held tomorrow — Ford would likely win another majority.

Forty-two per cent of those polled said they would vote for the Progressive Conservatives if an election were to be held tomorrow, with 35 per cent decided or leaning Liberal. Another 18 per cent would cast their vote for the NDP and seven per cent would select another party, including the Greens.

That’s very close to the 2025 snap election, when the Progressive Conservatives pulled 43 per cent of the vote, the Liberals took 30 per cent and the NDP managed 19. The Greens scored five per cent last year.

The vast majority of respondents — 69 per cent — do not think Ford will step down as premier before the next election, which can be called anytime before 2029.

Methodology: A sample of 801 residents of Ontario aged 18+ was interviewed online. Quotas and weighting were employed to ensure that the sample’s composition reflects that of the population of Ontario according to census parameters. The poll is accurate to within ± 4.2 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, had all Ontarians aged 18+ been polled. 

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