January 26, 2006

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Scan) - A large number of adults in Canada believe their incoming prime minister should focus on two specific issues during his term, according to a poll by Environics Research Group released by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 80 per cent of respondents think the Conservative government headed by Stephen Harper should increase mandatory minimum sentences for gun crimes, a

(Angus Reid Global Scan) - A large number of adults in Canada believe their incoming prime minister should focus on two specific issues during his term, according to a poll by Environics Research Group released by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 80 per cent of respondents think the Conservative government headed by Stephen Harper should increase mandatory minimum sentences for gun crimes, and 71 per cent want to change the upper house so that future senators are elected and not appointed.

Canadians renewed the House of Commons on Jan. 23. The Conservatives received 36.3 per cent of the vote, and secured 124 seats in the 308-member lower house. Harper will lead a minority administration after more than 12 years of government by the Liberal party.

More than half of all respondents believe the Tory government should create a foreign policy with closer relations to the United States, and 49 per cent believe they should implement their tax plans, provide their proposed child care allowance, and repeal the gun registry for long guns.

Two other issues appear as more contentious. 42 per cent of respondents support Harper's plan to invite the provincial government of Quebec to have its own representation in some international bodies, and 30 per cent want him to bring back the issue of same-sex marriage to Parliament for another vote.

Polling Data

If the Conservatives form a government after election day, do you think they should do each of the following?

Increase mandatory minimum sentences for gun crimes	80%
Change the Senate of Canada so that future senators are elected	71%
Create a foreign policy with closer relations to the United States	54%
Cancel the income tax cuts of the previous government and instead cut the GST from 7 per cent to 5 per cent over 5 years	49%
Replace the previous government's plan to create child day care spaces with a new plan to give families a child care allowance of $1,200 per year for each child under six	49%
Repeal the gun registry for long guns	49%
Invite the government of Quebec to have its own representation in some international bodies	42%
Bring back the issue of same-sex marriage to Parliament for another vote	30%

Source: Environics Research Group / CBC
Methodology: Interviews with 2,034 Canadian adults, conducted from Jan. 20 to Jan. 22, 2006. Margin of error is 2.5 per cent.