Voters Agree With Screening for “Anti-Canadian
Values”
Majorities disapprove of
Niqab in public service, citizenship ceremonies
In a random sampling of public opinion taken by the Forum
Poll™ among 1370 Canadian voters, two thirds agree that prospective immigrants
should be screened for “anti-Canadian values” (67%), while one quarter disagree
(24%) and one tenth don’t have an opinion (9%). Belief in cultural value
screening is common to Gen X and Boomers (45 to 64 - 73%), males (70%) more so
than females (64%), mid income groups ($60K to $80K - 72%), in Quebec (71%()
and Ontario (70%) but not so much in the Atlantic provinces (56%), among
Conservatives (87%) and the least educated (76%).
Equality seen to be key
Canadian value
When asked to choose the most important Canadian value from
a crowdsourced list of 8 items, the most commonly mentioned is “equality”
(27%), followed by “patriotism” (15%), “fairness” (12%) and “tolerance” (11%).
Values which are not seen to be as important include “diversity” (9%),
“compassion” (7%), “duty” (5%) and “politeness” (4%). One tenth say something
else is the most important Canadian value (9%). Among Conservatives, the most
important value is “patriotism” (29%), followed by “equality” (19%). Among
Liberals, “equality” is first (33%), followed distantly by “tolerance” (16%).
Among New Democrats, the most important value is also “equality” (29%),
followed by “patriotism” (16%). “Equality” is the most important Canadian value
in all regions except the prairies, where “patriotism” (20%) and “compassion”
(19%) lead.
More than half would prohibit
Islamic clothing for women
As many as 6-in-10 Canadian voters would prohibit one or
more articles of Islamic religious clothing for women (59%), including 3-in-10
who would ban the Hijab, the Niqab and the Burqa in public (29%), one sixth who
would ban just the Niqab and Burqa (15%) and a similar proportion who would ban
the Burqa only (15%). Just one third of Canadians say no garments should be
prohibited (36%) and very few don’t share an opinion (5%). Conservative voters
are especially unlikely to say no garments should be prohibited (22%), as are
Francophones (12%). Those who identify ethnically as “Canadian” are less likely
to say no garments should be prohibited (34%) than are those from other ethnic
backgrounds.
Opposition to Niqab increases
Two thirds of Canadian voters oppose allowing women to wear
the Niqab at citizenship ceremonies (68%), and this is an increase since we
last asked this, just before the federal election (October 15, 2015 - 59%). An
identical proportion opposes allowing women who are public servants to wear the
Niqab (68%), and this is an increase from last year as well (October , 2015 -
62%). In each case, opposition to the Niqab is common to older Conservative
males in mid income groups and those from Quebec.
Paradoxically, majority sees
no state role in telling women what to wear
Despite the forgoing, a majority of Canadian voters agree
the state has no role in telling women how to dress (58%), and just 3-in-10
think it does (29%). Agreeing the state has a role in fashion choices is
typical of Quebec (41%), Conservatives (39%), to a lesser extent, New Democrats
(32%) and among Northern Europeans (36% - caution: small base size).
Canadians ambivalent on
impact of Syrian refugees
Canadian voters are equally likely to say the Syrian
refugees admitted last Christmas have had a positive impact (29%), have
not had a positive impact (31%), and somewhat more do not have a view on the
subject (40%). This is very similar to last December, when equal proportions
said the Syrian refugees would have a positive impact (34% or a negative impact
(34%). Fewer had no opinion back then (don’t know - 32%).
Canadians see us admitting
too many immigrants, not too few
More than a third of Canadian voters think the country
admits too many immigrants (38%), whereas just one third this proportion says
too few are admitted (13%). The plurality say the right number of immigrants
are allowed into Canada each year (41%) while one tenth have no opinion (8%).
Believing too many immigrants are admitted is common to Gen X and Boomers (45
to 64 - 42%), to males (41%) more so than females (35%), to the least wealthy
(less than $20K - 47%), in Ontario (42%) and Alberta (42%), among Conservatives
(58%), but not Liberals (20%) and among the least educated (54%). Ethnic
Canadians (41%) and Eastern Europeans (38% - Caution: small base size) are more
likely than others to say too many immigrants are admitted.
6-in-10 agree Canadian values
must displace immigrant values when they conflict
Six-in-ten Canadian voters agree that immigrants to Canada
must abandon their native cultural values when they conflict with Canadian
cultural values (59%), and this is very similar to when we last asked this question
3 years ago (March, 2013, agree - 62%). Agreeing immigrants must abandon their
native values is common to the oldest (65+ - 67%), males (64%) rather than
females (55%), mid income groups ($60K to $80K - 68%), in Quebec especially
(74%), among Conservatives (75%) but not Liberals so much (48%), among the
least educated (64%) and among Southern and Eastern Europeans (68% and 69% -
caution: small base sizes).
“Of course, the conundrum here is that a majority of
Canadians want to prohibit at least one article of clothing important to Muslim
women, while a very similar majority (including many of the same people) claim
the state has no role in telling women how to dress. This is how confused this
issue has become. When the question of Canadian values is raised as well, a
similar conundrum appears; the most important Canadian value is seen to be
equality, yet majorities of Canadians want immigrants to Canada to abandon
their values, or at least to check them at the door. It appears that Dr. Kellie
Leitch has struck a chord with her call for a Canadian values test at the
border" 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.