Majority (53%) of Canadians Support Decision to Stay in Afghanistan for... http://www.ipsos-na.com/news-polls/pressrelease.aspx?

id=5047

Majority (53%) Of Canadians Support Decision

To Stay In Afghanistan For Training Mission,
But Most (61%) Say Parliament Should Debate
And Vote On Mission
Saturday, November 20, 2010

Toronto, ON – As Prime Minister Stephen Harper and

Defence Minister Peter MacKay meet with their NATO
counterparts to discuss the future of Allied efforts in
Afghanistan, a new Ipsos Reid poll conducted exclusively for
Postmedia News and Global Television shows that a majority
(53%) of Canadians back the decision to have some
Canadian Forces remain in Afghanistan strictly to train
soldiers until 2014 but it comes with a caveat: a bigger
majority (61%) believe that “there should be a vote in
Parliament to determine whether Canadian Forces should
stay in Afghanistan past 2011, even if it is for a training
mission” thus echoing the demand of NDP Leader Jack
Layton to do so.

Recently, Prime Minister Harper announced that up to 1000

Canadian Forces troops would remain in Afghanistan through
2014 in a training capacity but that he would not seek a vote
in parliament on the matter since the extended mission
involves training Afghan forces, not a combat mission, a
decision and process that was backed by Liberal Leader
Michael Ignatieff. But, according to the poll, only one in three
(35%) Canadians believe that “since it is not about furthering
the combat mission there is no reason for a debate and
vote”. Just 4% are unsure of whether Parliament should
debate and vote on the mission or not.

Support for Mission Splits Canadians Along

Demographic Lines…

Overall, a majority (53%) of Canadians ‘support’ (23%

strongly/30% somewhat) the use of upwards of 1,000
Canadian Forces personnel to remain in Afghanistan until
2014 strictly to train members of the Afghan National Army
and not to take part in any further combat missions. However,
four in ten (41%) Canadians ‘oppose’ (29% strongly/12%
somewhat) Canadian Forces remaining in Afghanistan until
2014 even if it is strictly to train members of the Afghan
National Army. Nearly one in ten (6%) Canadians don’t know
whether they support or oppose this new training mission. By
comparison, in the summer of this year, 50% of Canadians
supported the current security and combat mission against
the Taliban, while 50% opposed the mission.

The issue appears to have divided the country along regional,

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generational, socio-economic and gender lines:

A majority of residents of Alberta (64%), British Columbia

(62%), Saskatchewan and Manitoba (60%) and Ontario
(55%) support the training mission, while only a minority of
Quebecers (45%) and Atlantic Canadians (38%) support
the new mission. In fact, a majority of Atlantic Canadians
(53%) and Quebecers (52%) oppose the mission.
Canadians over the age of 55 are most likely (58%) to
support the decision to keep Canadian Forces troops in
Afghanistan followed by those aged 35 to 54 (54%).
However, a minority (46%) of young adults aged 18 to 34
support this mission, roughly the same proportion that
opposes it (47%).
Men (62%) are considerably more likely than women (45%)
to support the new training mission. In fact, more women
oppose (47%) it than support it (45%).
Canadians whose family earn more than $60,000 a year
are most likely (62%) to support the mission, while a
majority (53%) of those who earn between $30,000 and
$60,000 also support it. Those whose family earns less
than $30,000 are much less likely (37%) to support it, and
are actually the biggest opposition (59%) to the mission.

Majority Want Debate and Vote…

Six in ten (61%) Canadians believe that the Prime Minister

should hold a debate and vote in Parliament on the future of
the Afghanistan mission. In fact, a majority of those in every
demographic group studied believe the Prime Minister should
hold a vote:

Quebecers (71%) are most likely to believe there should be

a debate and vote in Parliament, followed by those living in
Atlantic Canada (67%), Saskatchewan and Manitoba
(60%), Alberta (59%), British Columbia (58%) and Ontario
(56%).
Younger Canadians (72%) are much more likely than
middle-aged (58%) and older (58%) Canadians to believe
that the Prime Minister should hold consult Parliament.
Women (65%) are significantly more inclined than men
(58%) to believe that there should be a debate and vote
held in Parliament.

These are the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted on

behalf of Postmedia News and Global Television from
November 16-18, 2010. For the survey, a representative
randomly-selected sample of 1,002 adult Canadians was
interviewed by telephone. With a sample of this size, the
results are considered accurate to within ± 3.1 percentage

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points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had
the entire adult population of Canada been polled. The
margin of error will be larger within regions and for other
sub-groupings of the survey population. These data were
weighted to ensure that the sample's regional and age/sex
composition reflects that of the actual Canadian population
according to Census data. All sample surveys and polls may
be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited
to coverage error, and measurement error.

For more information on this news release, please

contact:
John Wright
Senior Vice President
Ipsos Reid Public Affairs
(416) 324-2002
john.wright@ipsos.com

About Ipsos Reid

Ipsos Reid is Canada's market intelligence leader, the

country's leading provider of public opinion research, and
research partner for loyalty and forecasting and modelling
insights. With operations in eight cities, Ipsos Reid employs
more than 600 research professionals and support staff in
Canada. The company has the biggest network of telephone
call centres in the country, as well as the largest
pre-recruited household and online panels. Ipsos Reid's
marketing research and public affairs practices offer the
premier suite of research vehicles in Canada, all of which
provide clients with actionable and relevant information.
Staffed with seasoned research consultants with extensive
industry-specific backgrounds, Ipsos Reid offers syndicated
information or custom solutions across key sectors of the
Canadian economy, including consumer packaged goods,
financial services, automotive, retail, and technology &
telecommunications. Ipsos Reid is an Ipsos company, a
leading global survey-based market research group.

To learn more, please visit www.ipsos.ca.

www.ipsos.ca

About Ipsos

Ipsos is a leading global survey-based market research

company, owned and managed by research professionals.
Ipsos helps interpret, simulate, and anticipate the needs and
responses of consumers, customers, and citizens around the
world.

Member companies assess market potential and interpret

market trends. They develop and build brands. They help
clients build long-term relationships with their customers.

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clients build long-term relationships with their customers.

They test advertising and study audience responses to
various media. They measure public opinion around the globe.
Ipsos member companies offer expertise in advertising,
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Ipsos has a full line of custom, syndicated, omnibus, panel,
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been publicly traded since 1999. In 2009, Ipsos generated
global revenues of €943.7 million ($1.33 billion U.S.).

Visit www.ipsos-na.com to learn more about Ipsos offerings

and capabilities.

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