October 11, 2005 Source: University of Ottawa: http://www.media.uottawa.ca/mediaroom/news_details-e.php?nid=703 Government "out of step" with Canadians on foreign policy priorities: First uOttawa Ipsos-Reid Public Policy Poll OTTAWA, October 11, 2005 — A new public opinion survey conducted by the University of Ottawa suggests that Canadians and the federal government are not seeing eye-to-eye on key foreign policy issues. The survey, conducted for the University of Ottawa October 4-7 by Ipsos Reid, a leading public opinion research company, explored Canadians’ opinions on a number of foreign policy questions. According to experts from the university, the results indicate the government has a lot of work to do to match perceptions and realities in terms of Canada's foreign policy. The poll found that 81 per cent of Canadians felt that being a mediator in foreign conflicts is one of the nation’s "most important roles." In a recent speech in Vancouver, Prime Minister Paul Martin told an audience "the role of traditional mediator that Canada has played consistently between great powers is not the foreign policy that I would envisage." The poll also found that 83 per cent of Canadians were willing to risk tensions with the United States over foreign policy differences. When asked to choose Canada’s top international priority, Canadians supported "Helping reduce hunger and poverty" (26 per cent), "Working within the United Nations" (14 per cent) and "Working to improve the environment" (13 per cent). Taking military action against international terrorism (4 per cent) and pursuing nuclear disarmament (3 per cent) were the least popular choices. Comparing one question "Do you agree or disagree that Canada is a generous country when it comes to giving aid to poorer countries" to a 1997 Ipsos Reid "Canada and the World" study shows that while Canadians still consider themselves generous, their agreement has dropped (59 per cent "strongly agreed" in 1997 vs. 44 per cent today) Canadians are also less confident that we are world leaders in working for peace and human rights. The 1997 Ipsos Reid "Canada and the World" study found 57 per cent strongly agreed with this statement, while that number dropped to 47 per cent in 2005. Experts from the University of Ottawa were surprised by some of the findings. Political scientist Stephen Brown, a specialist in foreign aid and development, sees a disconnect between Canadians’ image and reality of what we do on the world stage. "Canadians place a lot of importance in foreign policy, but they do not seem to have a very realistic view of what their government actually does abroad. Likewise, Canadians would be hugely disappointed if they realized that Canada is actually less generous than most other wealthy countries when it comes to foreign aid. Bono's recent criticisms of the Prime Minister regarding Canada's aid budget have not registered with the public," says Brown. Jacqueline Best, a professor in the School of Political Studies who focuses on international political economy and globalization, says "In spite of the Prime Minister’s recent suggestions that Canada will no longer play the role of "honest broker" or "traditional mediator," it seems that Canadians still strongly identify with that image. And why not? While the issues and the players may be changing, the world still needs a country that has the legitimacy to sit down with warring parties and find a workable solution. This poll suggests that the Prime Minister might be better off reinventing that role for a new era rather than simply discarding it." As for the poll results on Canada-U.S. relations, Best says "Canadians clearly believe in taking an independent stance on foreign policy, even if it’s likely to cost us in our relationship with the U.S. And in the context of our recent experience with the softwood lumber issue, I think Canadians are very much aware of those potential costs. In spite of this, they overwhelmingly support an independent foreign policy." The University of Ottawa is the first Canadian university to conduct an ongoing public opinion research program of this nature. "Universities have traditionally been places where dialogue flourishes," says David Mitchell, Vice-President, University Relations. "We’ve begun the uOttawa-Ipsos Reid Public Policy Poll to stimulate discussion among leading university researchers, policy-makers, and the Canadian public." The university will be conducting polls on public policy issues on a regular basis. | 