Canadian support for the military mission in Afghanistan remains surprisingly stable, including in Quebec, despite the loss of three soldiers from that province in the past week, a new CanWest News Service/Global National poll suggests.
Conducted by Ipsos Reid, the poll found 51 per cent of respondents across the country said they support the mission, while 45 per cent oppose it. The numbers remained virtually unchanged from a month ago.
I know that many of you disagree with me when I say that DND and the PMO have done a horrible job of explaining the mission to Canadians; but imagine the support, were our government to regularly inform us of the tremendous progress being made.
support went UP 5% in Quebec last week . . go figure.
“I know that many of you disagree with me when I say that DND and the PMO have done a horrible job of explaining the mission to Canadians”
Yep. My response to the (generally non-conservative) folks who are complaining that the media is biased against Canadian Forces is “Good. Now you know how we conservatives feel.”
I had no idea that is amazing 4000km of roads wow.
14% growth in GDP that sounds like a place that is thriving to me. Huh.
Ya somebody has to be cleared and more informative about what is goin on.
I have to agree ,the media is agin us ,the info about what we are doin besides shootin is on the web,its on DND site ,but not reported.I look for Harper to splain the mission and its successes,nowhere to be found,in the papers or press.
He did it before ,so go around the wall and talk straight to the people ,fireside chat with Hillier,both are great speakers,get the message out ,over top of the media scumbags.Usin CBC,that’ll hurt them.
The more the Taliban hear us whine an cry (layton ,dion duceppe) the names don’t deserve capitals.the more the enemy wants ta whack our people,Thats called treason in some parts of the world .aiding and abetting.
Someone tell me ,that this snivelling woulda been put up with in our previous conflicts.Not on yer life,me thinks.
The mission was undertaken(by the Liebrals,by the way),so shut up and lets git er dun,,suggestions from the whiners an wimps -OK but off the books
.Pissed off.Peter
Its always nice that the media must”poll” these things every 5 minutes, hoping to create a story, in turn creating contoversy, which makes for more news. Success doesn’t sell as well as misery I guess…..
While the media, with their its left bias and headline seeking, have focused mostly on the negative aspects of the war, the government has done a poor job of managing public relations. As the ‘Post’ editorial put it today:
i love it when they talk about the “bloodbath our troops have endured”
69 deaths in almost 7 years.
Meanwhile in peaceful, safe Toronto there have been 65+ handgun murders THIS YEAR. Plus a handful more stabbing deaths.
Now that’s a bloodbath.
Some truthful reporting. No torque & spin there …. noooooooooooooooo.
A 5% increase in support from Quebec should be a signal for PM SH to go for the critics’ throats.
I’ll bet, then, the support will go up even faster.
Fred:
In your part of the country, have you seen three-day coverage of ANY gang-banger deaths in Toronto?
Can you say double standard?
Yep, it’s a poll a week, maybe more.
It’s still puzzling to figure how the Lefties support the troops but not the mission.
When our Forces are sent to war, and this is war, by their Government, they must go. How do they feel if the media keep reporting that the people do not support the war they’re putting their lives on the line for?
Do they get the message they’re sacrifices are all for naught? That’s the Lefty message, loud and clear, Jacko keeps hollering for a pullout, which is exactly what the Taliban want.
The only saving grace for the Troops is they know they are making a difference in Afghanistan even though the lying, conniving Lefty media refuse to tell the facts.
We keep hearing the Government should give us better reports as to what is transpiring but even if they did no Lefty would change their minds.
There are many things that can’t be reported during a war as well. Given today’s mass communications it’s even more crucial as to what gets reported and that includes boneheaded calls for a pullout, risking the lives of our Troops.
If people want to criticize the war, while saying they support the troops, they must choose their words carefully, even bite their tongue. The nonsense coming out of Dion, Duceppe and Layton is not factual – we don’t torture Taliban, we don’t bomb villages, we are doing lots of good. Instead, we get “three times the casualties of other nations” nonsense from G&M, and Ujjal Dosanj hypocritically criticizing government for not having helicopters (we would have excellent EH101s if we needed them, except his Lib leader Chretien cancelled them to win election in 93).
Some people feel we can never prevail in Afghanistan, because nobody else has. Maybe we can’t prevail, that is a matter of opinion. OK, that criticism is fair ball, though I’m not convinced the historical context presented is accurate. Ignoring the good news and fixating on the bad news, frankly, gives comfort and aid to our sworn enemies, and distorts the reality of what is going on. So does leftoid jingoism like Bush’s war (sorry, UN and NATO mission) and blood for oil (what oil, for whom?)
I think it will take an election to have a full and objective hearing on our role and efficacy in Afghanistan. That is unlikely to happen now because the war will unlikely be decisive issue in next election.
For God’s sake, if you want to criticize the mission, consider the implilcations of what you say, and be factual; leave out the innuendo, perception and prejudice. Please.
Harper’s closed mouth secretive style really shot himself in the foot this time….after isolating the media they don’t ask him for copy and press releases any more now they just fill in the blanks themselves….dis informed Canadians are the result.
Harper should have had a daily press releade from the DND that highlighted the mission purpose, progress and successes….but no…secret Steve thinks this stuff takes care of itself.
Seems the media have a hard time realizing their opinions are not those of the majority…this is a common mistake Liberal governments make as well….maybe there’s a connection between the two?
Nothing the PM does will ever satisfy the latte-lovers, if he trumpets the mission he’s a “scary warmonger”, if he lets the troops on the ground and the occasional Rick Hillier rally appearance do the talking, then he’s a “secretive warmonger”.
I would like to see a little more volleys fired back at Steffi/Taliban/Too-inept, but no-one from the media ever asks any conservatives for our opinion, they go straight to the 3 Stooges for their wisdom.
On that subject, tell me why it is necessary, everytime something outrageous happens, why we have have to hear from a representative of minority group/special interest group/advocacy group spouting off about why we need more or less of this or that…ie. handgun bans when they already exist.
How about someone asking ME or someone like me when another native blockade goes up, what my opinion is? I’d tell the reporter straight up that the best solution would be to send in the army bulldozers and knock everything down, arrest the agitators and send them the bill for the clean-up.
I guess I don’t represent a narrow enough spectra of society.
WMLR:
Yes, Harper should have more press conferences with his Defence Minister and the CDS Hillier, a great communicator. This is war, a war like no other.
When a Nation sends it’s troops off to battle it’s of utmost importance to keep the people abreast of what’s going on. If we had more communication we’d have less reporting of the Liberal and Dipper drivel and outright lies.
Maybe there’s a connection between the Libs and media? You gotta know the answer to that one.
Okanagan, if it’ll make you feel less left out, they never asked ME either.
Sadly all they require is the opinion of the vacuous “three stooges” to push their anti-anything-Conservative agenda.
We really have to get a citizen’s all out war on the lying, conniving media, it’s against all we believe in as a Democratic country.
They are reducing us to a Banana Republic with their tactics, it’s dangerous when we have to question what’s reported on our national news networks.
WL: When we were bombing the Serbs, Chretien was sure to give daily briefings … all the press had to do was show up. Where are the DND and PMO now? Ignorance breeds opinions based on nonsense … between the MSM, PMO, and DND, we have a dumbed down population in regards to Afghanistan. Polling demographics suggest that “educated” Canucks tend to support the mission.
http://www.cjunk.blogspot.com/2007/07/educated-canadians-support-mission-its.html
“I had no idea that is amazing 4000km of roads wow.”
No kidding. We need to send the Canadian military to Saskatchewan next. They could use some roads, too.
Remember, Harper and the DND may have press conferences, may make announcements – but those don’t appear in the MSM.
And as has been pointed out, when Harper does talk about the mission, the MSM only inform us that that’s all he cares about; that he is just focused on the war; that he is ‘doing Bush’s work’ and so on.
The MSM focuses only on their agenda – an anti-war and anti American agenda – and that’s what they cover and provide as ‘news’.
As others have pointed out – Toronto has, in one year, more violent deaths than we’ve had in all our years in Afghanistan.
The ‘red Fridays’ are under-reported – if at all, and that includes the CNE massive gathering.
But, Canadians are more and more, in support of the war and the troops – and, more and more, feeling proud that Canada is back on the world stage. Not as backroom standby (peacekeepers) but as active participants.
It is good to see the increase in support for the troops.It helps offset our a$$#at mayor , his gang of 10 and now the “top cops” refusing to put support stickers on (Calgary)city vehicles.
Wish we could elect our “top cop” along with mayor and gang.
Paul, the reason the Media isn’t getting the story is because under the Libs they were given their “stories”. They had no need, no reason and no incentive to do their jobs and that was just how the Libs liked it.
Now that Harper has severed the govenmental umbilical the press no longer know how to be investigative professionaals, so instead of going out and getting a story, investigating leads and doing some honest journalism they spend their time whining and carping about how they arent being spoon fed anymore.
The corporate MSM has been underfunding their field research/reporting for years. Matters that used to have 10 reporters digging for information now have one editor sitting in headquarters offering his/her opinion showing a lack of understanding and research.
Fortunately most Canadians don’t blindly believe what the MSM spews choosing instead to make up their own mind on important matters.
Kill anything Moslem.
Unless they PUBLICLY denounce Al-Quaida.
Yeah, no gloves, from now on!
Harper needs to stand up as does Bush and the other NATO countries and clearly draw the picture after we all run away. No wonder the support is not there, we all don’t understand the implications of failure. Islamo-fascism will not stop and we will feel it here eventually.
“The nonsense coming out of Dion, Duceppe and Layton is not factual” Posted by: Shamrock at August 25, 2007 4:05 PM
The Canadian people are smart enough to see the war was started by the Libs and now the slimy turncoat hypocritical liars are just playing politics trying to save their cowardly skins and using the troops as grease. Absolutely disgusting.
Joe: “The corporate MSM has been underfunding their field research/reporting for years.”
Yup, US$67 seems a little low … but he’s going to raise his price.
http://www.instantarticlewizard.com/cb.html
This entire issue is old, the Canadian liberals,
NDP etc are simply copying the words of the
American liberals right down to actual sentences.
If you want to see what they will try next, just
watch what the liberal left in the states do.
They just copy them, no ideas of their own!
They are so limp they sometimes get themselves
in trouble because they muck up what the U.S.
liberals did as we are different here. What fun!
If you want to see why the prime minister may
not have all the time he needs go the the
conservative blog and see he has been going for
the entire month of August in one city or another.
It is inspiring, but I hope he had or is going
to have a vacation. Meeting with the two presidents was, I am sure, a time he has to be
on! Have the daily e-mail sent to you and you will
be surprised and wonder how he is doing all there
is to do and what he has done this summer.
The press, of course, got their knickers in a
knot when President Bush and Prime Minister
Harper met for 20 minutes in private before
starting. President Bush really talked up our
troops and the great job they are doing and we
should have pride in our troops, they are fighters. The trouble is, once this is known,
they get used more often. They are Canadians and
they have always been known for this.
We cannot withdraw from either country, we have
given our word we will help them, and to withdraw
would bring hell on earth to the Afghanistan and
Iraqi people. How the Americans can even think of
running is beyond my thinking, it would be twice
they have done this to the Iraqi people. TWICE.
After Desert Storm, the elder President Bush told the Iraqi people it would be a good time to get rid of Saddam and the killing and death was horrible and it was them who died, not him as we know.
Yet, the Iraqi’s are still trying to trust the Americans and I am having a real difficult time of it right now.
When Harry Reid gets up in congress and tells the
world the war is lost, I really get fed up with
all of them if they believe that screwy little
piglet. He and Pelosie, Kennedy and Kerry are
lost souls doing nothing good for anyone. The
Americans polled on how the new majority is
doing gave them 17% the lowest in history.
The thinking on our troops has taken such a
huge turn around from previous years and that
is because of them, they are great in every way.
Prime Minister Harper has really worked at this,
the people for the troops are speaking up and we
are trying hard for them to know we think they
are troops to be very proud of and have given
the world the view of Canadians in a positive
way.
What question you ask can determine the results you get. Reading the article, if people are given the facts of the mission, support goes up to over 80%.
Better communication, sure, but who in the media is going to promote the Conservative cause? Dion got 20 minutes on his “What I did this summer” essay (C-), the PM, and both Presidents got about the same amount of air time.
Can PM Harper try harder to get the message out, yes, but I fear the media is not going to allow that to happen.
Maybe they need to give one on one interviews to only Conservative friendly media, that’s what they are being accused of doing anyways.
The Quebec leaders were on CFCN television wanting
the troops brought home right away as there had
been two Vandoos killed. It was on the news, but
I have heard nothing more about it.
The Vandoos have a reputation for being very tough
fighters and a little bit “different.” They
may often get into more trouble than other
regiments for doing some outlandish stuff.
I do not believe they would be happy to see their
government trying to get them out because of
two deaths considering the 67 the others have lost
Usual liberal thinking. No-one wants to lose
troops, but get real, this is not a game, it is
a war.
I think when they realized the Prime Minister has
said, we will with draw in 09′ as the people of
Canada do not want the troops in Afghanistan,
you know, a war! I do not think he is reading
Canadians in the right way.
But, if a election is called and the liberals want to make us being in Afghanistan a big issue, he has now quietly covered that issue and when he is re-elected can send the troops back when our turn with NATO comes again. We are only doing turns with other NATO troops and we will have been there some time by 09′.
eastern paul,
You’re confusing Canada’s goal in Afghanistan with Hitler’s goal in Europe, you dope.
When Harper won the leadership of the Canadian Alliance in 2002, a reporter asked Tom Flanagan what kind of changes the public would now see in Harper.
Flangan said that Harper would be more selective about when and how often he talks to the media. The purpose of that was to make Harper’s comments seem more important, and to make him look more Prime Ministerial.
So Harper has kept to that communication style, obviously with a lot of criticism. But there is a lot to what Flanagan was saying. When Harper talks, people listen. And he also crams a heck of lot of substance into what he says, actually answering the question, instead of just rambling off Party talking points.
Compare to Dion, who tends to ramble on too long, without producing satisfying answers, being condescending, defensive and argumentative with the media, using stale ad hominem attacks on Harper–all very un Prime Ministerial looking.
Check out Dion’s full SPP press conference of Aug 24th here.
Harper is not going to satisfy the Travers, Giggles and Puffy crowd. Why should he try. Their argument seems to be, more openness, so we can distort what you say or, heck, even make something up. Trudeau showed utter disdain for press and it didn’t hurt him one bit. Most of the MSM opinions are those they share with each other, nobody else.
During an election campaign, people will tune in to the issues, not before. Look at the last election, when all was quitet until after Christmas, and Harper beat everybody to the punch with his policy a day announcements.
That’s what will happen again, though Afghanistan will unlikely be a big issue, not because Harper says so, but because the MSM has already said so.
Besides, only moonbat wackos think Dion has any chance of victory. I know a lot of Liberals, and not one of them actually believes they can win the next election with Dion. Besides, he has made a crucial strategic error, he has aligned himself with the policies of the loony left (witness his bulk walk moonbatism), so Canadians will have to make a choice between the leftism of the NDP (along with Dion), whom they’ve never believed could form national government, and Harper.
I hear a lot of people say they aren’t in love with Harper by any stretch, but he is a darned sight more attractive than the leftie crowd. Because of that, the results of the election are pre-ordained, with a 30% from Libs (max) and 20% for the remaining moonbats, and 40-50% to Tories; easily enough for majority. Liberals have core vote of about 25-30% that would vote for them if they had been implicated in thievery (which they were). So be it. They did Tories a huge favour by electing Dion as their leader. Why Jack Layton hasn’t taken this guy to the cleaners is a mystery; I predict he will turn on Dion in next election to save his own skin.
Not a good time to be a Liberal.
The best thing to happen to Harper lately is Dion.
“Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe has threatened to take down Stephen Harper’s Conservative government in the fall, if the prime minister doesn’t make a firm commitment to pull Canadian troops from Afghanistan by February 2009.” CTV news
After a French Canadian troop is killed in Afghanistan, Duceppe is outraged and demands a firm commitment from the Conservatives to pull Canadian troops out of Afghanistan or else. Where was the outrage when the first Canadian troop was killed in Afghanistan???? I guess Duceppe doesn’t give a crap unless the troop is French – bloody typical frenchman.
Sounder…I will confess I giggled a lot in December when Dion had his debut, and realized he was a Christmas present for PMSH. But I’m getting tired of that line of thought.
Harper has the ability to get that majority on his own merit, with a great team and improved communication, as suggested in this post.The next election cannot be won by default.
Buckler has a job to do from the PMO, and PMSH needs to get out and explain Afghanistan.