1. Nobody’s Unpredictable © 2011 Ipsos  Canadian Public Affairs All rights reserved. Contains Ipsos' Confidential and Proprietary information and may not be disclosed or reproduced without the prior written consent of Ipsos. The Economic Pulse of the World -- Canada in a Global Context Citizens in 24 Countries Assess the Current State of their Country’s Economy Canadian Public Affairs October 2011 Public Perspectives

2. 2 © 2011 Ipsos Canadian Public Affairs Public Perspectives – October 2011 – The Economic Pulse Contents and Ipsos Reid Public Affairs Canada A little about us…  Ipsos Reid Public Affairs conducts strategic research in partnership with clients to understand and manage issues, advance reputations, determine and pinpoint shifts in attitude and opinion, enhance communications, and evaluate policy. Strategic advice is the key deliverable. We provide clients with advice that goes beyond reporting on data, based on a concrete understanding of their issues and their context. We specialize in: –Public Sector Research  Government and Social  Program Evaluation /Performance Measurement  Not-for-Profit  Municipal –International Trends –Public Opinion Polling for Media Release –Reputation & Risk Management  For more information about this report or Canadian Public Affairs please contact: –Mike Colledge, President, Canadian Public Affairs, 613-688-8971, mike.colledge@ipsos.com –Chris Martyn, Chief Research Officer/Managing Director, 416-324-2010, chris.martyn@ipsos.com –Alexandra Evershed, Senior Vice President Ottawa, 613-688-8972, alexandra.evershed@ipsos.com –Sandra Guiry, VP and Manager Toronto, 416-324-2018, sandra.guiry@ipsos.com –Kyle Braid, VP and Manager Western Canada, 778-373-5130, kyle.braid@ipsos.com Visit www.ipsos.ca for information about all of our products and services.www.ipsos.ca Copyright Ipsos 2011. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication constitute the sole and exclusive property of Ipsos. In this report Canadians and citizens of 23 other countries assess the current state of their country’s economy. This is the first of a series of Public Perspectives reports that Ipsos Reid Public Affairs (Canada) will distribute throughout the year. We hope that you find it useful.

3. 3 © 2011 Ipsos Canadian Public Affairs Public Perspectives – October 2011 – The Economic Pulse How is the Economic Pulse measured?  There are three analytic components that make up the findings of this report: Thinking about our economic situation, how would you describe the current economic situation in [insert country]? Is it very good, somewhat good, somewhat bad or very bad?  The currently perceived macroeconomic state of the respondent’s country: Rate the current state of the economy in your local area using a scale from 1 to 7, where 7 means a very strong economy today and 1 means a very weak economy.  The currently perceived state of the local economy: Looking ahead six months from now, do you expect the economy in your local area to be much stronger, somewhat stronger, about the same, somewhat weaker, or much weaker than it is now? A six month outlook for the local economy:

4. Nobody’s Unpredictable © 2011 Ipsos  Canadian Public Affairs All rights reserved. Contains Ipsos' Confidential and Proprietary information and may not be disclosed or reproduced without the prior written consent of Ipsos. Canada At A Glance…

5. 5 © 2011 Ipsos Canadian Public Affairs Public Perspectives – October 2011 – The Economic Pulse Positive about today’s national economy but declining; less optimistic and declining view of local economy over the next 6 months… Country - Now thinking about our economic situation, how would you describe the current economic situation in [insert country]? Is it very good, somewhat good, somewhat bad or very bad? Local --Rate the current state of the economy in your local area using a scale from 1 to 7, where 7 means a very strong economy today and 1 means a very weak economy. Local 6 months - Looking ahead six months from now, do you expect the economy in your local area to be much stronger, somewhat stronger, about the same, somewhat weaker, or much weaker than it is now Very good/good Rate 5-7 scale 1-7 Much/Somewhat Stronger High 87% Low 43% High 38% Low 15% High 51% Low 42% 48% 66% 15%

6. Nobody’s Unpredictable © 2011 Ipsos  Canadian Public Affairs All rights reserved. Contains Ipsos' Confidential and Proprietary information and may not be disclosed or reproduced without the prior written consent of Ipsos. Assessing Each Country’s Current Economic Situation…

7. 7 © 2011 Ipsos Canadian Public Affairs Public Perspectives – October 2011 – The Economic Pulse Canadians among the most positive in assessing the current economic situation in their country… Now thinking about our economic situation, how would you describe the current economic situation in [insert country]? Is it very good, somewhat good, somewhat bad or very bad?  -- 2 Month Trend Up Flat Down  --               

8. 8 © 2011 Ipsos Canadian Public Affairs Public Perspectives – October 2011 – The Economic Pulse Canadians continue to track well ahead of the Global average and the Americans in assessing the current economic situation in their country… Now thinking about our economic situation, how would you describe the current economic situation in [insert country]? Is it very good, somewhat good, somewhat bad or very bad? 66% 15% 39%

9. 9 © 2011 Ipsos Canadian Public Affairs Public Perspectives – October 2011 – The Economic Pulse Prairies and Alberta most positive in assessment of the current economic situation in the country; Ontario, BC, Atlantic decline… Now thinking about our economic situation, how would you describe the current economic situation in [insert country]? Is it very good, somewhat good, somewhat bad or very bad? Most Recent Prairies85% Alberta75% Québec71% Canada66% Atlantic64% B.C.63% Ontario59%

10. Nobody’s Unpredictable © 2011 Ipsos  Canadian Public Affairs All rights reserved. Contains Ipsos' Confidential and Proprietary information and may not be disclosed or reproduced without the prior written consent of Ipsos. Assessing the Local Economic Situation…

11. 11 © 2011 Ipsos Canadian Public Affairs Public Perspectives – October 2011 – The Economic Pulse Canadians among the most positive in assessing the current strength of the economy in their local area… Rate the current state of the economy in your local area using a scale from 1 to 7, where 7 means a very strong economy today and 1 means a very weak economy  -- 2 Month Trend Up Flat Down  --                

12. 12 © 2011 Ipsos Canadian Public Affairs Public Perspectives – October 2011 – The Economic Pulse Canadians continue to track well ahead of the Global average and the Americans in assessing the current strength of their local economy… Rate the current state of the economy in your local area using a scale from 1 to 7, where 7 means a very strong economy today and 1 means a very weak economy. 48% 18% 30%

13. 13 © 2011 Ipsos Canadian Public Affairs Public Perspectives – October 2011 – The Economic Pulse Alberta and Prairies lead in assessment of their current local economy; Ontario declines… Rate the current state of the economy in your local area using a scale from 1 to 7, where 7 means a very strong economy today and 1 means a very weak economy. Most Recent Prairies76% Alberta67% Canada48% B.C.47% Québec46% Ontario42% Atlantic39%

14. Nobody’s Unpredictable © 2011 Ipsos  Canadian Public Affairs All rights reserved. Contains Ipsos' Confidential and Proprietary information and may not be disclosed or reproduced without the prior written consent of Ipsos. Assessing the Local Economic Situation -- Six Months from Today…

15. 15 © 2011 Ipsos Canadian Public Affairs Public Perspectives – October 2011 – The Economic Pulse Canadians more in the middle of the pack in projecting the strength of their local economy in next six months… Looking ahead 6 months from now, do you expect the economy in your local area to be much stronger, somewhat stronger, about the same, somewhat weaker, or much weaker than it is now? 2 Month Trend Up Flat Down  --                

16. 16 © 2011 Ipsos Canadian Public Affairs Public Perspectives – October 2011 – The Economic Pulse Canadians now slightly less positive than Americans in projecting the strength of their local economy in next six months… Looking ahead 6 months from now, do you expect the economy in your local area to be much stronger, somewhat stronger, about the same, somewhat weaker, or much weaker than it is now? 24% 15% 17%

17. 17 © 2011 Ipsos Canadian Public Affairs Public Perspectives – October 2011 – The Economic Pulse Quebec, Atlantic and BC trail in assessment of the strength of their local economy in next six months… Looking ahead 6 months from now, do you expect the economy in your local area to be much stronger, somewhat stronger, about the same, somewhat weaker, or much weaker than it is now? Most Recent Prairies35% Alberta27% Ontario16% Canada15% B.C.12% Atlantic9% Québec9%

18. 18 © 2011 Ipsos Canadian Public Affairs Public Perspectives – October 2011 – The Economic Pulse SURVEY METHOD The survey instrument is conducted monthly in 24 countries around the world via the Ipsos Online Panel system. The data in this report was collected between September 9-19, 2011. COUNTRIES The countries reporting herein are Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Turkey and the United States of America. SAMPLE For the results of the survey presented herein, an international sample of 18,722 adults age 18-64 in the US and Canada, and age 16-64 in all other countries, were interviewed. Approximately 1000+ individuals participated on a country by country basis via the Ipsos Online Panel with the exception of Argentina, Belgium, Indonesia, Mexico, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden and Turkey, where each have a sample approximately 500+. WEIGHTING Weighting is employed to balance demographics to ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the adult population according to the most recent country Census data. A survey with an unweighted probability sample and a 100% response rate would have an estimated margin of error of +/-3.1 percentage points for a sample of 1,000 and an estimated margin of error of +/- 4.5 percentage points 19 times out of 20 per country for a sample of 500 of what the results would have been had the entire population of adults in that country had been polled. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error, and measurement error. Data for this report was taken from Ipsos Global @dvisor…

19. 19 © 2011 Ipsos Canadian Public Affairs Public Perspectives – October 2011 – The Economic Pulse © 2011 Ipsos Reid. All rights reserved. Contains Ipsos’ Confidential, Trade Secret and Proprietary Information. The contents of this document constitute the sole and exclusive property of Ipsos Reid (“Ipsos”) and may not be used in any manner without the prior written consent of Ipsos. Ipsos retains all right, title and interest in or to any of Ipsos' trademarks, technologies, norms, models, proprietary methodologies and analyses, including, without limitation, algorithms, techniques, databases, computer programs and software, used, created or developed by Ipsos in connection with Ipsos' preparation of this proposal. No license under any copyright is hereby granted or implied. The contents of this document are confidential, proprietary and are strictly for the review and consideration of the addressee and its officers, directors and employees solely for the purpose of information. No other use is permitted, and the contents of this document (in whole or part) may not be disclosed to any third party, in any manner whatsoever, without the prior written consent of Ipsos.