Most Canadians don’t believe there will be victory in the war against the Taliban in Afghanistan, according to a new online survey.
The Angus Reid Public Opinion poll also shows that a majority of Canadians – 53 per cent – do not support the war and 43 per cent believe that Canada made a mistake sending in troops.
While the finding bolsters Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s resolve to end the mission in July 2011, there is still uncertainty as to Canada’s future role. The Owen Sound Sun Times reports that Defence Minister Peter MacKay is “strongly suggesting” his government is open to extending the mission beyond the date passed by the House of Commons.
Mr. MacKay is quoted as saying that it’s “all very interesting” that Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff and his foreign affairs critic Bob Rae have both made “comments recently about training and extending the mission.” However, later in the article, Mr. MacKay says his government will respect the parliamentary motion.
This confusion over the outcome of the mission and Canada’s role after the troop withdrawal is a recurring theme in coverage of the war. With the deadline approaching, the government has not yet spelled out what it will do and there is growing pressure from the United States for Canada to extend.
Angus Reid’s Mario Canseco, meanwhile, says he was struck by two main elements in his poll: the fact that 30 per cent of Canadians believe “we’ll have to negotiate with the Taliban and that they will play a role in the Afghan government when all is said and done.”
The pollster was also surprised to see that “the notion of a clear military victory has never been endorsed by more than one-in-ten Canadians in the past six months.”
Something the Conservatives may want to take from this poll is that Canadians do not feel the Harper government is being transparent with them about the mission. Fifty-seven per cent of Canadians say the government has provided “too little” information about the war compared to 26 per cent who say it has provided the “right amount.”
The public frustration could prove important as the Tories try to communicate what the mission will look like post 2011.
“People have been very open about a more traditional peacekeeping role after 2011,” Mr. Canseco said. “And when we’ve asked about the future of the mission, Canadians support a non-combat presence.”
“But it is all in how you engage with the public, and judging by the results, this particular task is not going very well.”
Officials with the Prime Minister’s Office and Mr. MacKay’s office said the minister was not making any hints and that the government’s position has not changed.
The online poll of 1,024 Canadians was conducted between August 5 and 6. It has a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
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Update Sun Media has taken down its report on the Defence Minister's comments without explanation. A toned-down version has been posted in its place.
