Peter Graefe – The Conversation

Striking Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) workers on Parliament Hill in Ottawa in April 2023. Public sector voters in Canada are more inclined to support the NDP and the Liberals — not necessarily out of self-interest, but because they’re left-leaning politically. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

December 17, 2025

What Canada’s public sector voting divide could mean for future elections

Matt Polacko, University of Calgary; University of Toronto; Peter Graefe, McMaster University, and Simon Kiss, Wilfrid Laurier University

New research suggests the government’s intention to reduce the size of the federal public service could very likely drive some Liberal voters back to the NDP in the next federal election.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau shakes hands with New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh as Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre looks on at a Tamil heritage month reception in January 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

October 24, 2023

Educated voters in Canada tend to vote for left‑leaning parties while richer voters go right

Simon Kiss, Wilfrid Laurier University; Matt Polacko, University of Toronto, and Peter Graefe, McMaster University

Does the ‘diploma divide’ make politics more about culture than economic inequality?

A woman is pictured at the window of her west Toronto apartment in March 2020 as her landlord issued eviction notices at the start of the pandemic. Secure and affordable housing is a big concern of those collecting social assistance, whether it was CERB or provincial programs. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

May 2, 2021

CERB was luxurious compared to provincial social assistance

Peter Graefe, McMaster University and Mohammad Ferdosi, McMaster University

CERB was a lifeline but no paradise, highlighting the struggles of social assistance recipients to get by on much less.

Ontario PC supporters react after Doug Ford was elected premier of Ontario on June 7, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

June 8, 2018

Doug Ford’s challenge: Keeping the ‘ordered’ voter

Peter Graefe, McMaster University

Doug Ford will have to work hard to hold onto voters who feel marginalized and cast their ballots for him seeking order and stability. Here’s why that could be a challenge.

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