Angus Reid poll: Canadians Want to Know Which Politicians are “Foreign-Influenced”
Very few respondents believe CSIS Director Richard Fadden should leave his post on account of his revelations. (full report)

KEY FINDINGS

• 67% believe the names of the politicians who are, according to the CSIS Director, “under at least the general influence of a foreign government” should be made public
• 73% say it is “very likely” or “moderately likely” that some politicians in Canada are under the influence of the Chinese government
• 59% think CSIS Director Richard Fadden should not resign on account of his statements

[VANCOUVER – Jul. 8, 2010] – Canadians have reacted with interest to the allegations made by Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) Director Richard Fadden, and believe that the names of the politicians who are supposedly under the influence of foreign governments should be revealed, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found.

In an interview broadcast last month, Fadden claimed that the agency believes that at least two provincial cabinet ministers and several British Columbia municipal politicians “are under at least the general influence of a foreign government.”

On Jul. 5, Fadden appeared before the House of Commons standing committee on public safety, and said that he will name the politicians to the federal government at a later date.

In the online survey of a representative national sample of 1,009 Canadian adults, two-thirds of respondents (67%) think the names of the ministers and politicians Fadden has referred to should be revealed to the public.

In March, Fadden stated during a speech to police chiefs and security experts that China is aggressively and surreptitiously recruiting future political prospects, and has funded university clubs that are managed by people operating out of embassies or consulates.

Three-in-four Canadians (73%) say it is “very likely” or “moderately likely” that some politicians in Canada are under the influence of the Chinese government.

Fadden told MPs that he will not offer his resignation. Three-in-five respondents (59%) believe Fadden should not leave his post on account of his statements.

From July 6 to July 7, 2010, Angus Reid Public Opinion conducted an online survey among 1,009 randomly selected Canadian adults who are Angus Reid Forum panelists. The margin of error—which measures sampling variability—is +/- 3.1%, 19 times out of 20. The results have been statistically weighted according to the most current education, age, gender and region Census data to ensure a sample representative of the entire adult population of Canada.

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From CBC

Why don’t I feel the same way this poll suggests? I’ve never felt such a strong sense of mutual racial dislike over my 26 years living in Canada. If the poll talks about “feelings” of racism of the respondents, then my “feelings” of racism has never been higher ever since the Tories took office. And also since then, I’ve never felt so un-Canadian this country has been (such strong feelings weren’t here even under the last Conservative government under Brian Mulroney… and I always wonder why… and the answer is always that the Tories in the current form is most ideologically driven than any previous government has been).

Aboriginal Peoples, Muslims face discrimination most: poll

CBC - One in three Canadians believe that Aboriginal Peoples and Muslims are the frequent targets of discrimination, a CBC-commissioned poll suggests.

About 28 per cent of the 2,000 surveyed by pollster Environics Research Group in February and March also said Pakistanis/East Indians often suffer from intolerance, while 20 per cent said blacks regularly faced it.

More than a tenth of Canadians surveyed said they thought Jews, Chinese and anglophones inside Quebec suffered from persistent discrimination, while francophones outside Quebec ranked the lowest at nine per cent.

But if many Canadians feel discrimination happens on a regular basis, they may not feel it has a “pervasive, negative effect” on the ethnic groups, according to Jeffrey Reitz, a University of Toronto professor who studies ethnic diversity.

“These groups are minorities and if you asked people, ‘Are blacks experiencing discrimination?’ They might shrug and say, ‘Yeah, probably,’ but you know it’s not something that concerns them directly. And so it’s treated as somebody else’s problem.”

Reitz also suggests that our perceptions of racism may be coloured by our pride in multiculturalism, a policy officially declared in 1971.

“Canadians have as part of their self-image the belief in being inclusive, open, multicultural, and Canadians are proud of that,” Reitz said. “It would be inconsistent to then believe that there’s pervasive discrimination.”

The study also found a substantial drop in Canadian’s perceptions of pervasive discrimination against blacks (12 per cent), and Muslims and Aboriginal Peoples (nine per cent) since a similar survey four years ago.

A Manitoban aboriginal advocacy group believes the decrease in perceived discrimination has little to do with reality.

“Daily experience would suggest otherwise,” said Grand Chief Morris J. Swan Shannacappo of the Southern Chiefs’ Organization.

“There still exists systemic discrimination against Aboriginal Peoples in the health-care, social-service and justice systems, particularly in the Prairies,” he said.

According to the poll, Prairie residents were most likely to perceive discrimination against Aboriginal Peoples, while residents of Toronto and Montreal believe blacks and Muslims are most often targeted.

Quebecers were more likely to say blacks, Chinese, Pakistanis/East Indians and Aboriginal Peoples never face discrimination.

Tarek Fatah, founder of the Muslim Canadian Congress, questioned why Muslims constituted a category in the poll.

“Discrimination in this country is essentially a race issue,” he said. “If the Muslim is white, nobody has a problem. If the Muslim is black, people are petrified. So in the end it is a question about colour, not religion.”

Changing views of young Canadians

The poll also suggests Canadians aged 18 to 29 are more likely than any other age bracket to say discrimination is pervasive. But that age group also saw the highest level of improvement in perceived tolerance in the past four years, a rise some see as indicative of growing acceptance.

Alena Mondok, 13, of Toronto says race has never been an issue for her. Despite having a father with Slovak heritage and a mother of Jamaican descent, Alena only defines herself as Canadian.

“I feel that I’m Canadian because I’ve lived here all my life, and I don’t know anything else.”

The Mondok family says they’ve rarely experienced discrimination, recalling only one incident where a classmate called their then 10-year-old son “so black that he was like a Jamaican drug dealer,” said Alena’s mother, Karen.

“It’s largely a non-issue in our family and I don’t get the sense that our kids are really focused on that at all,” added her father, Brett.

A recent Statistics Canada report projects that about one-third of the population will be members of a visible minority by 2031, with whites becoming the minority in Toronto and Vancouver over the next few decades.

While there’s still disagreement over the severity of the problems of discrimination and inequality as Canada continues to grow in ethnic diversity, Reitz says, visible minorities still face challenges.

A royal commission charged with making an in-depth investigation into national issues is necessary to clear the air and find solutions, Reitz says.

Full story here.

Oh yeah, call me “ridiculously anti-Tories”. I don’t care any more.

Related reading: Vancouver’s visible minority population to double in 2031: StatCan

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Angus Reid poll results – Canadians are generally unhappy with the results of last month’s Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen, Denmark, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found. (full report)

In the online survey of a representative national sample of 1,013 Canadian adults, 28 per cent of respondents are content with the leadership shown by Prime Minister Stephen Harper at the summit to discuss climate change sponsored by the United Nations (UN). Conversely, almost half of Canadians (48%) express dissatisfaction with Harper’s performance at the meeting.

The Copenhagen Accord

Last month, representatives from 170 countries struggled to agree on a way to curb global warming. In the end, leaders issued a common statement including certain commitments to act. Most Canadians (56%) express frustration with the fact that the agreement that was finally reached is not legally binding.

A third of respondents (34%) are satisfied with the commitment to hold the increase of global temperatures below two degrees Celsius, but slightly more Canadians (36%) were left dissatisfied with this.

More respondents express satisfaction with the idea to create a fund to help developing nations adapt to climate change (46%), and with a commitment to reduce worldwide greenhouse gas emissions by 50 per cent below 1990 levels by 2020 (58%).

Over two-in-five Canadians (44%) don’t expect the Copenhagen Accord to ever become legally binding, and 73 per cent say are not confident that the world will reach the goal of holding the increase in global temperatures below two degrees Celsius.

Copenhagen and Climate Change: An Analysis

Canadians can be roughly divided into those who believe global warming is a fact and say it is caused by human activity (1); those who think global warming is a reality but is caused by natural changes (2), and those who think global warming is an unproven theory (3).

Those in the first group express a higher degree of dissatisfaction with their Prime Minister’s performance at Copenhagen (60%) than those in the second (38%) and third groups (30%).

Amongst respondents in the first group, 73 per cent are dissatisfied with the fact that the Copenhagen Accord is not legally binding, while this is true for fewer Canadians in the second (47%) and third groups (32%).Canadians in the first category are also more likely to express dissatisfaction with the commitment to hold warming temperatures below two degrees Celsius (44%) than those in the second (35%) and third groups (26%).

Respondents in the first group are the most enthusiastic about the creation of a fund to help developing nations cope with climate change (60% are satisfied with the idea); fewer people in the second (32%) and third groups (24%) agree with it.

Satisfaction with the commitment to lower global emission levels by half below 1990 levels by 2020 is high across the board, but highest amongst Canadians in the first group (66%, compared to 48% in the other groups).

———————————————

Meanwhile, I’d like to include a table of where countries are on CO2 emissions researched and compiled by democraticSPACE.

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PMO release

Sigh… what can I say? Sometimes I really don’t understand my fellow Canadians. Why are Canadians always one step behind the rest of the world? Is it because our country is too cold so our people don’t travel outside of North America to see the rest of the world?

With an obvious shift of western media obsession on the “China threat” theory and the retrieve of the once mainstream China-bashing rhetoric, I can only hope that over time, Canadians will slowly come to understand the modern China better-informedly.

Canadians Urge for Focus on Human Rights as Prime Minister Visits China

Angus Reid release – Two-thirds of respondents think Canada should not seek free trade agreements with countries that have dubious human rights records.

As Prime Minister Stephen Harper arrives in China for a four-day visit, a large majority of Canadians believe the federal government should concentrate on human rights when it comes to bilateral ties, a new Angus Reid Public Opinion poll has found.

In the online survey of a representative national sample of 1,006 Canadian adults, 63% of respondents believe Canada should put more emphasis on human rights and minority rights, regardless of the economic implications.

Just over a third of respondents (37%) believe Canada’s long-term policy with China should focus on the trading relationship, regardless of the human rights situation in China.

While those concerned primarily with human rights in China continue to outnumber the proponents of trade, this month’s survey does show a 13-point shift towards trade since an Angus Reid poll conducted in April 2007, when the trial and sentence of Chinese Canadian Huseyin Celil dominated the airwaves.

Two-thirds of Canadians (68%) believe Canada should not seek free trade agreements with developing countries that have dubious human rights records. The level of agreement with this notion has dropped by five points since July 2007, when Canada was discussing a free trade agreement with Colombia.

The prospect of a free trade deal with China is not an overwhelmingly popular idea for Canadians, with 42% perceiving this possibility as a threat to the Canadian economy from foreign imports, and 37% believing it would be an opportunity for economic growth through increased Canadian exports.

Albertans are more likely to perceive free trade with China as an opportunity (52%) while Quebecers (48%) are more likely to regard it as a threat.

Analysis

While trade with China has become a more important issue in the past two years, a majority of Canadians continue to advocate for an emphasis on human rights. China, at this point, is seen as more of a threat in the field of international commerce, a perception that is very different from the perceived benefits a free trade deal with India would bring to Canada.

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The degree of degradation of Canadian values (my definition: blue-cap UN peace-keeper) under this government over the last four years has been amazing!!! Nowadays, we glorify contemporary wars (which I believe are more imperialist in nature than keeping the peace); identify professional soldiers as heros. Why don’t we see that the sacrifice of our soldiers isn’t about bringing justice to the world, but has only innocently be used as political tools by political parties to score cheap political points? Why can’t someone have the gut to say it out that soldier is also a JOB that people CHOOSE to join, because they like it just like any other jobs? Their genuine love of the job has fallen into prey of cheap domestic politics and lowly party agenda. In addition, Canada now asks immigrants to study our military history in order to get the Canadian citizenship. And NOW THIS?? I want MY Canada back!

Nanos-SUNY(UB) Five Year Study (2009)

This week at the Association for Canadian Studies in the United States (ACSUS) conference in San Diego Nik Nanos, a research associate professor at the State University of New York in Buffalo, will present the findings of a five year study in Canada-US relations. The study includes two parallel samples of 1,000 Americans and 1,000 Canadians on a series of key measures.

The five year longitudinal study shows that, in the first wave of research since the election of Obama as president, there is a growing level of acceptance of free trade between Canada and the US. The countries differ in terms of how they regard the other on several dimensions. Canadians are more likely than Americans to be aware of the importance of the Canadian-American relationship.

Canadians have consistently been more likely (62.0%) than Americans (52.8%) to support a unilateralist position “even if this leads to conflict with other nations.”

The US is perceived by over half of Canadians as the closest country in terms of business values (53.4%), while only one in five Americans chose Canada as the closest country in terms of business values. Americans more frequently named Japan as the closest country in terms of business values (31.7%), followed by Britain (21.0%).

Relatively few Americans are concerned about goods entering the US from the northern border (3.6%). Canadians on the other hand are comparatively more likely to feel that products and people coming into Canada from the US should be thoroughly inspected, though that proportion has declined from 2005 (24.4%) to 2009 (11.2%). This difference may be explained by the fact that a vast majority of Canadians live close to the US-Canada border, while only 1/3 of Americans live in states that border Canada. Both countries expressed more concern to goods and people coming from Mexico and China, motivated by recent US media related to lead poison in toys from China, etc.

A majority of Canadians and Americans believe there should be closer cooperation between Canada and the US in national security policy and priorities, though the level of support is comparatively higher among Americans (69.7%) than Canadians (59.6%). The majority of Canadians (83.9%) and Americans (86.4%) feel it is very important to work together to develop an integrated energy policy to remove any dependence on Middle East oil.

To chat about this poll join the national political online chat at Nik on the Numbers. The detailed tables and methodology are posted on our website. You can also register to receive automatic polling updates.

Methodology

Nanos conducted a random representative online weighted sample of 1,006 Canadians and 1,001 Americans between August 31 and September 25, 2009.

Unilateralist Position Question: : Canada should follow its own interests, even if this leads to conflict with other nations? (5 year change in brackets)

[Canadian response]

Strongly agree 16.5% (-5.3%)
Agree 45.5% (+6.2%)
Neither agree nor disagree 20.5% (+2.5%)
Disagree 13.6% (-1.7%)
Strongly disagree 2.5% (-1.0%)
Can’t choose 1.5% (-0.5%)

[American response]

The US should follow its own interests, even if this leads to conflict with other nations? (5 year change in brackets)

Strongly agree 21.2% (+2.7%)
Agree 31.6% (+0.1%)
Neither agree nor disagree 21.7% (+1.5%)
Disagree 15.8% (-4.5%)
Strongly disagree 6.3% (-1.1%)
Can’t choose 3.5% (+1.4%)

Business Values Question: Thinking about Canada in relation with the countries below, could you please identify the first and second ranked countries that are closest with Canada in terms business values? [first ranked response - Canadian respondents] (5 year change in brackets)

[Canadian response]

The US 53.4% (-9.7%)
Britain 15.7% (-1.1%)
Japan 12.6% (+3.8%)
Germany 6.5% (+3.0%)
China 6.4% (+3.4%)
France 4.3% (0.0%)
Mexico 1.1% (+0.6%)

[American response]

Thinking about the US in relation with the countries below, could you please identify the first and second ranked countries that are closest with the United States in terms of business values? [first ranked response - American respondents] (5 year change in brackets)

Japan 31.7% (-7.5%)
Britain 21.0% (-4.9%)
Canada 18.9% (+0.9%)
China 17.0% (+8.5%)
Germany 7.6% (+2.1%)
France 2.0% (+0.7%)
Mexico 1.8% (+0.4%)

Inspecting Foreign Goods Question: Thinking about when a package or shipping container of goods enters Canada from one of the countries below, please rank the first and second country that Canadian customs officials should thoroughly inspect the shipment? [first ranked response] (5 year change in brackets)

[Canadian response]

Mexico 47.0% (+8%)
China 36.6% (+8.5%)
The US 11.2% (-13.2%)
Japan 2.0% (-0.6%)
Germany 1.6% (-1.4%)
France 0.9% (-0.7%)
Britain 0.8% (-0.5%)

[American response]

Thinking about when a package or shipping container of goods enters the US from one of the countries below, please rank the first and second country that American customs officials should thoroughly inspect the shipment? [first ranked response] (5 year change in brackets)

Mexico 48.0% (-1.3%)
China 36.1% (+8.3%)
Canada 3.6% (-1.5%)
Japan 3.5% (-1.4%)
France 3.3% (-2.9%)
Germany 3.2% (-0.7%)
Britain 2.4% (-0.4%)

National Security Policies and Priorities Cooperation Question: In terms of national security (i.e. NATO, the United Nations), should Canada and the United States be moving towards greater and closer cooperation or should they be maintaining separate national security policies and priorities? (5 year change in brackets)

[Canadian response]

Much closer cooperation 23.5% (-6.3%)
Somewhat closer cooperation 36.1% (+1.6%)
Stay the same/no change 15.5% (+4.2%)
Somewhat separate 14.9% (+2.8%)
Completely separate 6.9% (-2.9%)
Can’t choose/don’t know 3.1% (+0.6%)

[American response]

Much closer cooperation 30.2% (-7.0%)
Somewhat closer cooperation 39.5% (+4.0%)
Stay the same/no change 13.3% (+2.0%)
Somewhat separate 6.1% (-0.6%)
Completely separate 5.8% (0.0%)
Can’t choose/don’t know 5.1% (+1.6%)

Integrated Energy Policy Question: In your opinion, how important or unimportant is it for Canada and the United States to work together to develop an integrated energy policy to remove any dependence on Middle East Oil? (5 year change in brackets)

[Canadian response]

Very important 52.0% (-5.1%)
Somewhat important 31.9% (+4.3%)
Neither important nor unimportant 6.7% (+1.1%)
Somewhat unimportant 4.0% (+0.2%)
Very unimportant 2.4% (-1.0%)
Unsure 3.1% (+0.6%)

[American response]

Very important 58.0% (-6.7%)
Somewhat important 28.4% (+4.1%)
Neither important nor unimportant 6.3% (+1.6%)
Somewhat unimportant 1.3% (-0.5%)
Very unimportant 1.5% (-0.4%)
Unsure 4.4% (+1.7%)

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If the majority of immigrants coming to Canada are from Europe instead of Asia, do you think the public opinion towards immigration in general will lean to the opposite? Just like what the poster above indicates in 1907?

Americans and Britons Share Unease Over Immigration, Differ with Canadians
People in Canada generally have a more positive attitude towards immigration than those in the U.S. and the UK.

Angus Reid poll – A significant number of people in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom express animosity towards both legal and illegal immigration into their respective countries, a new Angus Reid Strategies poll has found.

The online survey of representative national samples in the three countries shows that 37% of Canadians feel that immigration is generally having a positive impact in the country, while 41% feel the opposite.

In the U.S., the gap between those who feel positively about immigration into their country (18%) and those who say it is having a negative effect (66%) is much more pronounced. So is the case in the UK, where 16% of respondents think well of immigration, but 72% are uneasy about it.

Legal Immigration

A significant proportion of the population in Canada (37%) and the U.S. (41%) want their respective governments to reduce the number of legal immigrants who are allowed to stay in each country.

In the UK, a staggering 63% of respondents would limit legal immigration.

Illegal Immigration

Canada is currently home to between 35,000 and 120,000 illegal immigrants. About two-in-five respondents (43%) say that illegal immigrants take jobs away from Canadians, whereas 40% say that unlicensed workers are employed in jobs that Canadians do not want.

In the U.S., where more than 12 million illegal immigrants reside at this point, 59% of respondents say that undocumented migrants take jobs from American workers, while 32% think they perform the tasks that Americans dislike.

British respondents hold similar views. Over half of people in the UK (57%) say that the 500,000 to 700,000 illegal immigrants currently living in the country take jobs from the hands of British workers, while one third of respondents (33%) say that those jobs are just not wanted by British people.

Future of Illegal Immigrants

About a fifth of Canadians (22%) would allow illegal immigrants to stay in Canada and eventually apply for citizenship. Roughly the same number (21%) says that they should only be allowed to stay in the country as temporary workers without an option of citizenship. Almost half of respondents (46%) believe illegal immigrants should be required to leave their jobs and be deported to their country of origin.

A quarter of respondents in the U.S. (25%) support the idea of offering a citizenship path to undocumented immigrants, while 18% say they should only be eligible for temporary work permits. Most Americans (47%) want all illegal immigrants to be asked to leave the country immediately.

British respondents are the least keen on offering any option of permanent residence to undocumented migrants. Only 11% of people in the UK think they should be granted citizenship, 22% say they could stay as temporary workers only, and three-in-five (59%) believe they should be deported.

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The latest Nanos poll helps one understand the overall image of the Conservative government of Canada. By asking Canadians, unprompted, to articulate their views of strengths and weaknesses we can get to the nuance of what people associate with the government without introducing any content or information.

The research indicates that Canadians are more likely to associate weaknesses with the Conservative government as opposed to strengths (65% can articulate a weakness and 36% can articulate a strength). Of concern for the Tories is that one of every five Canadians believes the Conservatives have no strength whatsoever. Comparing that to the 3% who say the Tories have no weakness suggests that the anti-Harper sentiments are much firmer than the pro- Harper sentiments. Likewise, the weaknesses associated with the Conservatives at the time of the survey are linked to many of the former strengths – Stephen Harper himself, transparency in government and economic management.

Overall Prime Minister Stephen Harper is twice as likely to be identified as a weakness than as a strength which suggests that he is personally becoming a lightning rod for discontent with the government. This is not surprising since the Conservative political strategy has largely centered on Harper.

From a communications point of view there are really only two options – to try to change views related to the Prime Minister or to refocus on a Conservative team by regionalizing the face of the Conservative Party. Recasting views on the Prime Minister is possible but requires a longer term time horizon – one longer than the likely timing of the next election. Refocusing on a Conservative team is a more feasible short-term strategy.

The key take-away from the research is that there are a number of paths forward for the Conservatives. The Tories could recalibrate and refocus their image in order to overturn negative perceptions or alternatively to drive negative perceptions of the Liberals so that the Liberals are perceived as a worse comparative choice. The current round of attack ads suggest that the Conservative strategy at this time is to focus on the Liberals and not to expend effort to turn around negative perceptions of the government.

Methodology

Polling between May 26 and June 1, 2009. (Random Telephone Survey of 1,001 Canadians, 18 years of age and older). A survey of 1,001 Canadians is accurate to within 3.1 percentage points, plus or minus, 19 times out of 20.

Conservative Government Strengths Question: Thinking of the Conservative government, what do you think its main strength is? [Open-ended]

Defined strength 36%
No strength 19%
Unsure of strength 45%

Conservative Government Weaknesses Question: Thinking of the Conservative government, what do you think its main weakness is? [Open-ended]

Defined weakness 65%
No weakness 3%
Unsure of weakness 33%

Net image impact: -29

The Net image impact score is calculated by subtracting defined weaknesses from defined strengths.

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Angus Reid results – Pierre Trudeau is still regarded as the best head of government Canada has had since 1968, while roughly one-in-five Canadians think either Stephen Harper or Brian Mulroney have been the worst prime ministers in that span, a new Angus Reid Strategies / Toronto Star poll has found.

KEY FINDINGS

• Best PM since 1968: Trudeau 39%, Harper 11%, Chrétien 9%, Mulroney 8%
• Worst PM since 1968: Harper 22%, Mulroney 19%, Chrétien 12%, Trudeau 10%, Campbell 9%

In the online survey of a representative national sample of 1,004 Canadian adults, 39% of respondents believe Trudeau has been the best prime minister of the past four decades, followed by Harper with 11%, Jean Chrétien with nine%, and Brian Mulroney with 8%.

More than two-in-five respondents in British Columbia, Ontario and Atlantic Canada choose Trudeau as the best prime minister, while one-in-five Albertans (21%) pick Harper. Mulroney was selected by 15% of Quebecers. Women (42%), respondents over the age of 55 (45%) and university graduates (46%) all express a preference for Trudeau.

Large majorities of Liberal Party (62%) and New Democratic Party (NDP) supporters (56%) also think Trudeau has been the best head of government of the past four decades. A third of Conservative Party voters (34%) choose Harper, and a quarter of Bloc Québécois sympathizers (25%) pick Mulroney.

While Trudeau has maintained the upper hand in this question since June 2007, support for Mulroney has fallen by four percentage points over the past two years.

When asked who has been the worst prime minister of Canada since 1968, 22% of respondents choose Harper, followed by Mulroney with 19%, Chrétien with 12%, Trudeau with 10%, and Kim Campbell with nine%. Three-in-ten respondents aged 18 to 34 (29%) believe Harper has been the worst head of government.

Quebec is the main source of discontent with the current dweller of 24 Sussex Drive, with 29% of respondents claiming that Harper has been the worst prime minister of the past four decades. In Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia, at least one-in-four respondents select Mulroney.

At least three-in-ten Liberals (38%), Bloc supporters (38%) and NDP voters (31%) select Harper as the worst prime minister, while respondents who voted for the Tories in last year’s federal election are torn between Trudeau (23%) and Chrétien (20%).

Harper, who ranked second when this question was last asked in June 2008, is now ahead of Mulroney by a slim three-point margin. The perception of Mulroney as the worst prime minister has fallen by six points, with Harper and Campbell seeing significant gains.

From May 19 to May 20, 2009, Angus Reid Strategies conducted an online survey among 1,004 randomly selected Canadian adults who are Angus Reid Forum panelists. The margin of error—which measures sampling variability—is +/- 3.1%, 19 times out of 20. The results have been statistically weighted according to the most current education, age, gender and region Census data to ensure a sample representative of the entire adult population of Canada. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.

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Nearly nine-in-ten ethnic and new Canadians feel overall quality of life in Canada is better than their home country (86% with 44% much better in Canada and 42% somewhat better in Canada). One-in-ten believe quality of life is about the same between the two countries (9%) and only 5% believe the opposite is true – quality of life is somewhat better in their home country.

Despite a better overall quality of life, ethnic and new Canadians view their social life and job opportunities less favourably. Specifically, the poll finds that four-in-ten ethnic and new Canadians consider their social life to be better in their home country than in Canada (42% with 15% much better in home country and 27% somewhat better in home country). This is compared to three-in-ten who have a better social life in Canada (28% with 13% much better in Canada and 15% somewhat better in Canada). A significant minority view their social life to be the same in both countries (30%).

Views are split for job opportunities. Slightly more than one-third think job opportunities are better in Canada (39% with 18% much better in Canada and 21% somewhat better in Canada), while an similar percentage believe there are better job opportunities in their home country (36% with 9% much better in home country and 27% somewhat better in home country). One-quarter feel there is no difference between Canada and their home country when it comes to job opportunities (25%).

“Immigrants come to Canada seeking a better life for their family and children. Though quality of life (i.e., air, environment) is perceived to be better in Canada compared to their home country, there is still disappointment with job opportunities. Recent immigrants to Canada are well-educated with professional degrees, and have extensive skills and work experience. More companies need to create or participate in programs to hire these new Canadians who are able to make an immediate contribution to the Canadian economy. They are our solution to Canada’s rapidly aging workforce, which we risk losing to reverse immigration back to their home countries,” says Jill Hong, Vice-President at Ipsos Reid in Toronto.

These views are similar across various demographic subgroups: gender, household income, and province (British Columbia vs. Ontario). However, a few differences between population subgroups exist. In particular, South Asians are more likely than Chinese to view aspects of life in Canada positively compared to their home country:

• South Asians are more likely than Chinese to feel overall quality of life is much better in Canada than their home country (62% vs. 37%);
• South Asians are more likely than Chinese to view their social life as better in Canada than their home country (48% vs. 21%); and,
• South Asians are more likely than Chinese to consider job opportunities to be better in Canada than in their home country (71% vs. 27%).

As well, those who have lived in Canada less than 10 years are more likely to view their social life as better in their home country than in Canada (56% vs. 35% of those who have lived in Canada for more than 10 years).

The Multicultural Connection Panel allows ethnic and new Canadian respondents to conduct online surveys in multiple languages including Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Punjabi, Hindi and English. This panel is housed in Ipsos Reid’s Interactive Forum (IAF) software which is a custom panel platform. The panel offers marketers the opportunity to reach Canada’s growing segment of ethnic and new Canadians at a fraction of the cost of traditional research with this population.

These are the findings of an Ipsos Reid study fielded from November 24 to December 1, 2008 and from March 11 to March 31, 2009. This online survey of 329 adult ethnic and new Canadians was conducted using Ipsos Reid’s proprietary “Multicultural Connection Panel” – an online panel of more than 3,000 ethnic and new Canadians including: African Canadian, Chinese, East Asian, Latin American, South Asian, South Pacific, Southeast Asian, West Asian/ Arabian/Middle Eastern, and West Indies. Statistical margins of error are not applicable to online studies of this nature, however, an unweighted probability sample of this size, with a 100% response rate, would have an estimated margin of error of ±5.4 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

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