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Canadians Disappointed with Bush Re-election
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(Angus Reid Global Scan) - Many Canadian adults regret the outcome of the 2004 United States presidential election, according to a poll by The Strategic Counsel released by CTV and the Globe and Mail. 69 per cent of respondents consider the re-election of Republican George W. Bush as a bad thing.
In November 2004, Bush officially visited Canada for the first time. Ottawa was the site of a mostly peaceful protest with an estimated 5,000 demonstrators. During a press conference, Bush said he wanted to "thank the few Canadians who came out to wave—with all five fingers—for their hospitality."
The Bush administration has often been publicly critical of some of Canada's policies, especially during the Liberal governments headed by Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin. Canadian soldiers are currently participating in the war on terrorism, but the federal government—headed at the time by Chrétien—did not back the March 2003 invasion of Iraq. 70 per cent of Canadian respondents say they value and respect the U.S. and its citizens, but disagree fundamentally with their government.
Canadians renewed the House of Commons on Jan. 23. The Conservative party—led by Stephen Harper—received 36.3 per cent of the vote, and secured 124 seats in the 308-member lower house. Harper, who was sworn in on Feb. 6, will lead a minority administration after more than 12 years of government by the Liberal party.
On Mar. 28, Harper vowed to pursue a "more mature and productive" relationship with the United States. Yesterday, Bush defined U.S.-Canada relations as a bond forged "by the relatives on both sides of the border" which "makes the relationship unique and very strong."
Polling Data
Do you think the last Bush re-election was a good thing or a bad thing?
Good | 19% |
Bad | 69% |
Don't know | 12% |
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? - "I value and respect the United States and its citizens—it's just that I disagree fundamentally with their government."
Very much agree | 29% |
Somewhat agree | 41% |
Somewhat disagree | 17% |
Very much disagree | 9% |
Don't know | 4% |
Source: The Strategic Counsel / CTV / The Globe and Mail
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,000 Canadian adults, conducted on Mar. 25 and Mar. 26, 2006. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.
