Majority back Afghan-style fighting, if cause is just
Chris LacknerCanWest News Service; Ottawa CitizenSaturday, October 28, 2006
OTTAWA -- A majority of Canadians support military participation in "conventional combat missions," such as the Afghan counter-insurgency, as long as they're convinced the cause is just and progress is being made, according to a new poll conducted for the Canadian Defence & Foreign Affairs Institute.
The survey revealed that 55 per cent of Canadians are willing to send troops into danger even if it leads to deaths and injuries as long as they believe in the military's goals.
"Some people might be surprised to see the level of Canadian commitment to getting on the playing field and not just sitting on the grandstands when it comes to military combat missions," said Greg Lyle, managing director at Innovative Research Group Inc., which carried out the survey.
Only 19 per cent of respondents said they've always been firmly opposed to combat missions, while 23 per cent said they'd be willing to send troops, but that casualties would affect their level of support.
"This isn't a blank cheque for the government to take troops wherever they want," Lyle said. "But if Canadians are convinced the cause is right and we're making a difference, they are prepared to send soldiers into harm's way even if there is no direct Canadian interest at stake and no Canadian lives at risk."
But the poll also showed Canadians are increasingly uneasy with the military's current role in Afghanistan.
While 54 per cent support the troops presence, opposition to the mission has risen to 42 per cent from 36 since a similar poll was conducted in June.
"There is an erosion among Canadians who think we're making a difference," Lyle said. "The key issue for the government is they can't rely on Canadian's willingness to send troops into combat for a just cause they need to demonstrate that cause is just and that we're making a difference."
Dawn Black, defence critic for the New Democratic Party, said the poll demonstrates that the public is increasingly uncomfortable with the mission because it lacks focus and doesn't appear to be offering tangible benefits to Afghan civilians.
"It's pretty clear that Canadians are increasingly uneasy about this fighting mission in Afghanistan," she said. "By their very nature, Canadians want to help, but they want assurances that their efforts are based on Canadian values and a real chance of success."
Etienne Allard, director of communications for Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor, said the government does not comment on polls.
"What we know is that Canadians are supportive of our women and men in uniform and the mission in Afghanistan," he said. "This is what Mr. O'Connor is hearing when he travels across the country."
The poll also revealed a linguistic divide over the Afghan mission: approval among English-speaking Canadians is 59 per cent, while support among French speakers rests at 38 per cent.
But David Bercuson, director of programs for the CDFAI, said the poll shows that the government has breathing room to win over Quebec voters. While 34 per cent of the province is firmly opposed to military combat missions, he said most Quebecers could be convinced under the right conditions.
The online poll of 2,494 Canadians, conducted between Oct. 25 and 27, was commissioned for a CDFAI conference that will be staged in Ottawa on Monday. It has a margin of error of 1.96 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
Ottawa Citizen
