More than half oppose ending Syria mission, admitting
refugees
Minority support for these policies
TORONTO
November 18th, 2015 - In a random sampling of public opinion taken
by the Forum Poll™ among 909 Canadian voters at the one month anniversary of
the 2015 federal election, just more than one half disagree Canada should end
its bombing mission against ISIS in the Mideast (51%) and an identical
proportion disapprove of the federal government’s plan to settle 25,000 Syrian
refugees in Canada (51%). In each case, only a minority supports either policy
(33% and 41%, respectively), both of which are keynotes to the Liberals’
election-winning platform.
Those
who disagree with ending the bombing mission are most likely to be mid aged (45
to 54 - 57%), male (60%), Albertans (60%) and Conservatives (79%). The profile
of those who disapprove of settling Syrian refugees is very similar.
Majority agrees there is a security risk
in admitting refugees
Close
to 6-in-10 voters agree there are security risks in settling Syrian refugees in
Canada (58%), while just one quarter disagrees (26%). Those who disagree are
most likely to be the youngest (30%), the least wealthy (a proxy for age -
33%), the wealthiest ($100K to $250K - 31%), BC residents (37%) and Liberals
(34%).
Plurality agree bombing ISIS is
effective
Four-in-ten
voters agree Canadian bombing has been effective in combatting ISIS (41%),
while just fewer disagree (37%). Those who see bombing as ineffective tend to
be the youngest (49%), the wealthier ($80K to $100K - 44%), residents of BC
(49%) and Liberals (46%).
Two thirds see ISIS as a direct threat
Two
thirds of voters see ISIS as a direct threat to Canada (67%) and this matches
levels noted in January (67%), and is higher than levels noted later in
September (55%). Less than a quarter do not see the terrorist organization as a
threat (22%).
Plurality now support Bill C-51
Four-in-ten voters support
the Bill C-51 anti-terrorism legislation as passed by the previous government
(41%), and somewhat fewer oppose the bill (34%). One quarter has no opinion
(24%). This hasn’t changed significantly since September of this year
(September 16, support - 41%, oppose - 37%).
“Ending the air mission and admitting
thousands of refugees are two key Liberal policies to which they have
repeatedly committed in the past few days, and yet it appears that assertions
by party leaders, including the Prime Minister, that this is what voters want,
don’t appear to ring true,” said Forum Research President, Dr. Lorne Bozinoff.
Lorne Bozinoff, Ph.D. is the president and
founder of Forum Research. He can be reached at lbozinoff@forumresearch.com
or at (416) 960-9603.
