(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Many adults in Canada believe that the Tamil migrants who arrived to the country on a ship last month should not be allowed to stay in the country even if they are not linked to terrorism, according to a poll by Angus Reid Public Opinion. 48 per cent of respondents believe the passengers and crew should be deported.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Many adults in Canada believe that the Tamil migrants who arrived to the country on a ship last month should not be allowed to stay in the country even if they are not linked to terrorism, according to a poll by Angus Reid Public Opinion. 48 per cent of respondents believe the passengers and crew should be deported.
On Aug. 12, the MV Sun Sea—a ship carrying about 490 Tamil migrants from Sri Lanka—arrived in the Canadian province of British Columbia. The ship’s passengers and crew are currently undergoing medical and identification checks to determine the legitimacy of their refugee claims.
On Aug. 13, Canadian public safety minister Vic Toews said he considers the MV Sun Sea a "test boat", adding, "This particular situation is being observed by others who may have similar intentions and I think it’s very important that Canada deals with the situation in a clear and decisive way. I don’t view this as an isolated, independent act."
On Aug. 18, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper discussed the situation, saying, "I think Canadians are pretty concerned, when a whole boat of people comes, not through any normal application process, not through any normal arrival channel, and just simply lands. And obviously this leads to significant security concerns."
Polling Data
The ship’s passengers and crew are currently undergoing medical and identification checks to determine the legitimacy of their refugee claims. If the refugee claims are legitimate, and there is no discernible link between the migrants and any terrorist organization, which of these courses of action would you prefer?
|
Deporting the passengers and crew to their country of origin
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48%
|
|
Allowing the passengers and crew to stay in Canada as refugees
|
35%
|
|
Not sure
|
17%
|
Source: Angus Reid Public Opinion
Methodology: Online interviews with 1,019 Canadian adults, conducted on Aug. 18 and Aug. 19, 2010. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.
