CAROLINE ALPHONSO — A strong majority of Canadians feel the United States is not justified in refusing Iraq reconstruction contracts to companies from Canada and the other countries that did not support its war effort there, a new poll suggests.
Seven in 10 Canadians — 71 per cent — believe that Canada should not be excluded from bidding on projects to rebuild the Middle Eastern country, according to a survey conducted by Ipsos-Reid for The Globe and Mail and CTV.
Residents of Quebec are the most adamant, with four out of five of those polled agreeing that the United States was not justified in making this decision.
Almost as many British Columbians — 77 per cent — offered the same opinion, as did 69 per cent of Atlantic Canadians.
Only three out of 10 Canadians said they thought it was fitting for U.S. President George W. Bush to announce earlier this month that only members of the Iraq coalition can bid on billions of dollars in reconstruction contracts.
Companies from countries including Canada, Germany and France — critics of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq — were told that they need not apply for any of the $18.6-billion (U.S.) worth of new contracts being awarded to rebuild the country.
There are some indications that Canada, which sent three warships to relieve U.S. and other allied vessels of patrolling duties in the southern Persian Gulf during the conflict, may be put on the list of bidders. Former prime minister Jean Chrétien had said that Mr. Bush had told him "not to worry."
Prime Minister Paul Martin has voiced his concerns about being excluded, saying that Canada deserves an equal shot at the contracts because it is sending aid to Iraq and troops to Afghanistan to join the war on terrorism.
Recently, in year-end interviews with television networks, Mr. Martin said Canadian-U.S.-relations are strained, and he would work to improve them.
The Ipsos-Reid survey found that the majority of Canadians believe he is capable of doing so. About 60 per cent of Canadians polled believe Mr. Martin and his government will be able to develop a new, warmer relationship with the Bush administration.
Residents of Atlantic Canada, Saskatchewan and Manitoba are the most apt to believe that relations will improve between the two governments, while residents of Quebec are least likely to believe the relationship will improve.
The poll also reported that even though Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein has been captured, slightly more than half of Canadians — 55 per cent — feel this country should not change its level of support for the United States. About 25 per cent say Canada should do "a lot more."
About 26 per cent of Quebeckers, a much larger proportion than residents of other provinces, suggested Canada should "pull out all together," while Albertans, at 38 per cent, were most apt to suggest the country should provide more help.
Ipsos-Reid found that Canadians were about evenly split on whether the United States is heading in the right direction in Iraq.
The poll was conducted from Dec. 16 to Dec. 18 and was based on a randomly selected sample of 1,055 adults across the country. The results are considered accurate within 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
