CRIC is pleased to see that seven of the nine polls used by the Leaders’ Debates Commission (“the Commission”) to determine inclusion under criterion (iii) were conducted by CRIC member agencies. In order to qualify under criterion (iii) a leader of a political party must meet the following: “five days after the date the general election is called, the party receives a level of national support of at least 4%, determined by voting intention, and as measured by leading national public opinion polling organizations, using the average of those organizations’ most recently publicly-reported results.”
Five parties (Bloc Québécois, Conservative Party of Canada, Green Party of Canada, Liberal Party of Canada and the New Democratic Party) qualified under criterion (i) and criterion (ii). On Friday, August 20, 2021, the Commission relied on the results of nine polls to determine that no additional parties qualified under criterion (iii). The following polls from CRIC member agencies were among those used to make this determination: Abacus Data (August 18, 2021); Angus Reid Institute (August 19, 2021); EKOS Research Associates (August 20, 2021); Forum Research (August 15, 2021); Ipsos (August 17, 2021); Leger (August 17, 2021); and Nanos Research (August 13, 2021).
The Commission made these decisions following its request for and receipt of advice from a Polling Advisory Group convened by Professor Peter Loewen. The group of experts are André Blais, Claire Durand, Allison Harell, Richard Johnston, Daniel Rubenson, and Laura Stephenson, in addition to Dr. Loewen.
“CRIC member agencies are committed to following the highest ethics and standards,” stated John Tabone, Chief Administrative Officer of CRIC. “We are pleased that the Commission recognized this in relying on polls conducted by seven CRIC member agencies.”
The Commission noted in its report that it reviewed the CRIC Public Opinion Research Standards and Disclosure Requirements that all CRIC members follow. Its objectives are:
- To support sound and ethical practices in the disclosure of research;
- To ensure research is unbiased and supports decision-making in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors;
- To enhance public trust and improve the public’s understanding of the use of research; and
- To ensure the appropriate transparency and disclosure of research results and methods of studies.
The Commission concluded that CRIC’s requirements align with the Commission’s mandate and its guiding principles for setting participation criteria, and that therefore polls conducted by CRIC members within the 14-day timeframe are appropriate for inclusion in a determination of average voting intention.
About CRIC
The Canadian Research Insights Council (CRIC) is Canada’s voice of the research, analytics and insights profession both domestically and globally. CRIC represents the highest standards, ethics and best practices; provides effective promotion and advocacy of the industry; serves as a source of information and thought leadership; and is a forum for collective industry action. For more information, visit www.canadianresearchinsightscouncil.ca or contact John Tabone at [email protected].
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