April 24, 2008

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Adults in Canada hold gloomy views on the relationship between former prime minister Brian Mulroney and German-Canadian businessman Karl-Heinz Schreiber, according to a poll by Angus Reid Strategies. 74 per cent of respondents believe we’ll never get to the bottom of what happened between Mulroney and Schreiber.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Adults in Canada hold gloomy views on the relationship between former prime minister Brian Mulroney and German-Canadian businessman Karl-Heinz Schreiber, according to a poll by Angus Reid Strategies. 74 per cent of respondents believe we’ll never get to the bottom of what happened between Mulroney and Schreiber.

In addition, 59 per cent of respondents are tired of hearing about the Mulroney-Schreiber controversy, and 58 per cent think a public inquiry into the affair would be a waste of money.

Mulroney—a member of the Progressive Conservative party—served as prime minister from 1984 to 1993, winning two majority mandates. His government cancelled the National Energy Program—which proved extremely unpopular in Western Canada—and negotiated two separate free trade agreements. Mulroney’s second term was marked by an economic recession and the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST).

Shortly after leaving office in 1993, Mulroney accepted thousands of dollars in cash from Schreiber. In public statements, as well as in testimony provided to a House of Commons ethics committee in 2007, the two men have offered differing accounts on the amount and purpose of the payments.

In November 2007, Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper voiced his intention to appoint "an independent and impartial third party to review the allegations" and vowed to "co-operate fully with the person appointed." A date for the inquiry has not been established, and no commissioner has been named.

Earlier this month, Mulroney issued a statement, which read: "The only possible basis for believing that more evidence might be available is the oft-repeated promise by Schreiber that he has evidence that he will share with a public inquiry. (...) It is incumbent upon Schreiber to turn over any documents he may have withheld."

Polling Data

Do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements?

	Agree	Disagree	Not sure
We’ll never get to the bottom of what happened between Mulroney and Schreiber	74%	17%	10%
I am tired of hearing about the Mulroney-Schreiber controversy	59%	33%	7%
A public inquiry into the Mulroney-Schreiber controversy would be a waste of money	58%	34%	7%

Source: Angus Reid Strategies
Methodology: Online interviews with 1,015 Canadian adults, conducted on Apr. 16 and Apr. 17, 2008. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.

 

Complete Poll (PDF)

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