COVID responses will impact Canada provincial politics

Significance

Although the pandemic is beginning to recede in much of Canada, the federal and provincial governments are preparing for the onset of winter and its likely impact on case counts and public health measures. They must also assess the changes that COVID-19 has made to the economic, political and social landscape of the country.

Impacts

• Social and economic disparities between those who are vaccinated and those who are not will become more pronounced.
• Washington’s delay in opening its borders to vaccinated Canadians will add to underlying bilateral tensions.
• Greater federal fiscal transfers to the provinces for healthcare next year will ease some of the federal-provincial tensions.
• Governments in Western Canada look vulnerable when facing the electorate amid criticism of their handling of the pandemic.