The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) is demanding answers from Premier David Eby’s government after documents revealed nearly half a million dollars were spent on secret polling between June 2023 and May 2024. The CTF is pressing the government to explain why the results are not being shared with the public, who are funding the research."Why is Premier David Eby blowing half-a-million dollars a year on polling and why won't his office share the results with the taxpayers footing the bill?" said Carson Binda, CTF's B.C. Director. "The government of British Columbia needs to come clean and explain why he's spending so much on secret polling."The CTF obtained the information through an access-to-information request, which specifically targeted expenditures by the premier's office on public opinion research. The request revealed that $453,000 was spent on polling over the 12-month period. The largest contracts included $131,000 for an “omnibus survey” and $108,000 for “multi-language research.”A spokesperson for the premier's office stated that the Government Communications and Public Engagement division leads polling efforts, using either its own budget or partnering with ministries like the premier's office. However, the premier’s office confirmed that the polling results are not made public.Binda criticized the lack of transparency: “It doesn’t matter which department the bills are funneled through, the same person is always paying at the end of the shell game: the taxpayer. If taxpayers are footing the bill, then they have every right to see the polling results and get a clear explanation about why this is costing so much money.”Binda highlighted the cost of the polling in contrast to the financial struggles faced by many residents. “While many British Columbian families are struggling to make ends meet, the provincial government is blowing big money on secret polling. The money the province spent on secret polls is equivalent to the total provincial taxes paid by 55 British Columbians,” he said.
