(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – People in Canada and residents of the latest G20 summit host city believe the reaction of the police to the demonstrations that took place during the meeting of world leaders was justified, according to a poll by Angus Reid Public Opinion. 66 per cent of respondents in Canada—and 73 per cent of people in Toronto—agree with this view.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – People in Canada and residents of the latest G20 summit host city believe the reaction of the police to the demonstrations that took place during the meeting of world leaders was justified, according to a poll by Angus Reid Public Opinion. 66 per cent of respondents in Canada—and 73 per cent of people in Toronto—agree with this view.
The G8 was created after the 1998 Birmingham summit. Russia had attended previous meetings of the G7, but had been excluded from specific discussions on financial and economic matters. The group holds annual summits where the heads of government of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States discuss economic and political affairs. The European Union (EU) also attends these meetings as an observer. The G20, which incorporates finance ministers and central bank governors from 19 countries and the EU, meets twice a year.
The latest G8 summit took place on Jun. 25 and Jun. 26 in Huntsville, Ontario, and the G20 meeting was held in Toronto on Jun. 26 and Jun. 27.
Toronto was the scene of violent demonstrations during the G20 summit. Some police vehicles were set on fire and several banks and stores were vandalized. More than 900 people were arrested.
Toronto Mayor David Miller called on the federal government to reimburse affected businesses, saying, "It’s only fair and right, given what was spent [on G20 security]—over a billion dollars—I think the people would feel very aggrieved if Ottawa didn’t compensate them and we’ll certainly be pushing very strongly for that."
Polling Data
Overall, how would you describe the reaction of the police in Toronto to the demonstrations that took place on Saturday and Sunday?
|
CAN
|
TOR
|
|
|
Justified
|
66%
|
73%
|
|
Unjustified
|
17%
|
23%
|
|
Not sure
|
17%
|
3%
|
Source: Angus Reid Public Opinion
Methodology: Online interviews with 1,003 Canadian adults and 503 City of Toronto adults, conducted on Jun. 28 and Jun. 29, 2010. Margins of error are 3.1 per cent and 4.4 per cent.
