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Fewer Canadians Back Mission in Afghanistan
- Fewer adults in Canada believe their country should be directly involved in the war on terrorism, according to a poll by Ekos Research Associates published in the Toronto Star. 38 per cent of respondents support the military participation in Afghanistan, down 24 points since December 2001.
Afghanistan has been the main battleground in the war on terrorism. The conflict began in October 2001, after the Taliban regime refused to hand over Osama bin Laden, prime suspect in the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. Al-Qaeda operatives hijacked and crashed four airplanes on Sept. 11, 2001, killing nearly 3,000 people.
In March, Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper travelled to Afghanistan—his first official trip as head of government. Harper dismissed any changes to the mission.
At least 473 soldiers—including 32 Canadians—have died in the war on terrorism, either in support of the U.S.-led Operation Enduring Freedom or as part of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) led by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
In an interview broadcast by CBC television on Sept. 18, Harper explained his views on the mission, saying, "It's certainly engaged our military. It has made it a better military. It's certainly raising Canada's leadership role, once again, in the United Nations and in the world community where we used to have an important leadership role."
Polling Data
Do you support or oppose Canadian military participation in Afghanistan?
Sept. 2006 | Dec. 2001 | |
Support | 38% | 62% |
Oppose | 48% | 19% |
Not sure | 13% | 18% |
Source: Ekos Research Associates / Toronto Star
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,004 Canadian adults, conducted from Sept. 12 to Sept. 14, 2006. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.