The Environics Research Group survey found that 56 per cent of Canadians polled said they thought bank mergers weren't in the public interest - almost double the 32 per cent that said such deals would be good for the country.
Fully 36 per cent said their dislike of bank mergers was "very strong" or "strong" - more than double the 17 per cent that said they felt "strong" support for permitting such business deals.
That opposition softened only if Ottawa set strong conditions before approving mergers.
Those might include a federal demand that merging banks must guarantee no branches would be closed in small towns and rural areas. Or Ottawa could encourage greater competition from credit unions and small banks.
Similar conditions have been suggested by some opposition MPs, with little response from the federal Liberals, said NDP finance critic Judy Wasylycia-Leis.
The interesting part to me is just how obvious it is that the Liberals are trying to take a side even while refusing to pursue it - can it be an accident that the poll was carried out in January, but is just now becoming public under a Freedom of Information request? Fortunately, it's public now...and it's obvious that the NDP is squarely in line with public opinion on the issue. The key now is to make sure that the issue stays in the public eye as an added reason not to give the Libs a majority this winter.
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