Most Canadians oppose Tories on Afghanistan, Kyoto, new poll suggests

[Spazito]

OTTAWA (CP) - The Conservative government has the support of just four out of 10 Canadians for its decision to extend the military mission in Afghanistan for another two years, a new poll indicates.

The survey, provided to The Canadian Press by Decima Research, also suggests fewer than a third of respondents are onside with a Tory strategy of playing down the Kyoto accord in favour of a "made-in-Canada" approach to climate change.

On both issues, support is especially weak in Quebec, the province targeted by Prime Minister Stephen Harper's strategists as the key to their hopes to transform the present minority government into a majority one in the next election.

snip

Fifty-four per cent opposed the move (including 24 per cent who were "strongly" opposed) with the balance undecided or refusing to answer.

more

http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=8300844e-9889-4684-a6fb-4b9caa088cae&k=4591

[daleo]

1. Unfortunately, 40% can be a "majority" under our voting system. n/t

[Spazito]

2. That's assuming all 40% are Harper supporters which isn't the case

there are Liberal supporters who support Afghanistan but wouldn't vote for Harper. There may even be a few Bloc voters and NDP voters who support Afghanistan.

[daleo]

3. You're right, I was oversimplifying

But our system does result in peculiar notions of what constitutes adequate levels of public support at times.

[Spazito]

4. Agree, and Harper is holding at 38%, too close for comfort ...

for my liking. I am going to be interested to see if this "terrorists" arrest will boost his support or not. That's another hard one to call, imo.

[daleo]

5. It is hard to call

On balance, I think that people will take the view "something is going off the rails", though, and it won't be a plus for the pro-Afghanistan war position. I think most Canadians will decide it is best to draw back from foreign entanglements that lead to significant dissension (especially ethnic and/or religious) within Canada.

All of this assumes that these terrorist arrests hold up to legal scrutiny, and I have my doubts about that. That's more of a hunch than anything else.

[Spazito]

6. Re the arrests, I, too, am becoming more skeptical of it than I was

at first, particularly the timing of the arrests. First, CSIS was just recently sending out warnings and wanting more power and second; coincides with upcoming Supreme Court of Canada hearings into the constitutionality of security certificates, which allow the authorities to indefinitely detain, without charge, anyone considered a threat to national security.