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Canadians Want Troops Out of Afghanistan
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - More adults in Canada regard the participation of their armed forces in Afghanistan as a conflict operation, according to a poll by Angus Reid Strategies. 57 per cent of respondents see the Canadian mission in Afghanistan as war, up four points since February.
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.
At least 559 soldiers—including 54 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). 64 per cent of respondents think Canada is shouldering too much of the burden of NATO's mission in Afghanistan, and only 38 per cent believe the Afghan people are clearly benefiting from Canadian efforts in their country.
Canadians renewed the House of Commons in January 2006. 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 leads a minority administration after more than 12 years of government by the Liberal party.
In May 2006, the House of Commons extended Canada's mission in Afghanistan until February 2009. 52 per cent of respondents think Canada should withdraw its troops from the country before the current mandate ends, while 34 per cent disagree.
On Apr. 19, Harper criticized the Liberals for failing to support the military operation, declaring, "We see some unfortunate casualties and they are back to attacking the mission. The leader of the opposition likes to talk about what is unfair. That is unfair to the men and women in uniform."
Liberal leader Stéphane Dion dismissed Harper's comments, saying, "A prime minister's role regarding a dangerous mission is to unify the nation, to bring the nation together, and he (has) divided the nation since the beginning on this issue." 61 per cent of respondents believe the Conservative government has not effectively explained the mission in Afghanistan.
Polling Data
In your view, is the Canadian mission in Afghanistan...
Apr. 2007 | Feb. 2007 | |
A peace mission | 31% | 29% |
A war mission | 57% | 53% |
Not sure | 12% | 18% |
Do you agree or disagree with the following statements:
Agree | Disagree | Not sure | |
The Harper government has effectively | 23% | 61% | 16% |
Canada is shouldering too much of the | 64% | 19% | 17% |
Canada should withdraw its troops from | 52% | 34% | 14% |
The Afghan people are clearly benefiting | 38% | 29% | 33% |
Source: Angus Reid Strategies
Methodology: Online interviews with 1,009 Canadian adults, conducted on Apr. 19 and Apr. 20, 2007. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.
