One half oppose ending Syria mission, admitting refugees

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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.