Canada's Armed Forces and Allegations of Sexual Harassment
An overwhelming number of Canadians -- nine in 10 -- are aware of recent allegations made against Canada's armed forces regarding sexual harassment and assaults on women in the military. Among those Canadians aware of these allegations, over one-half believe this is "evidence of a widespread problem in the Canadian Armed Forces" rather than just "isolated incidents", and seven in 10 would like to see the federal government open a special investigation into this matter.
These findings emerged from a National Angus Reid Group/Globe and Mail/CTV poll conducted among a representative cross-section of 1,501 Canadians between June 4th and 14th, 1998.
The poll highlights: (Table 1)
Fully nine in 10 (90%) surveyed Canadians expressed awareness of recent allegations of sexual harassment and assaults on women in the Canadian Armed Forces. Awareness levels were high across all major population sub-groupings. Of those aware, a majority of 54 percent (or 48% of all Canadians surveyed) perceived these allegations of sexual harassment and assault to be "evidence of a widespread problem in the Canadian Armed Forces", compared to 39 percent who viewed them as "isolated incidents" (or 35% of the total survey sample). That these allegations signify a widespread problem in the Canadian Armed Forces was a majority perception in all regions, except B.C. and Alberta where opinion was divided. (Note: The large majority of interviews in B.C. and Alberta were completed before June 12th.) This negative perspective was also more evident among women (59% widespread problem, 33% isolated incidents) than men (49% versus 45%).
Those aware of the allegations were also informed that the Canadian Armed Forces has recently introduced a sexual harassment and racism prevention program as well as an investigative unit for sexual harassment and assault complaints. One in four (27%) of these respondents (or 24% of all those surveyed) said "the Canadian military can, therefore, adequately investigate these allegations on their own", but most (70%) believed "the federal government should also open a special investigation on this matter" (or 63% of all Canadians). Support for a special federal investigation was strongest among Quebecers (77%) and women (76%), dropping to a more modest majority in Alberta (56%).
With a national sample of 1,501, one can say with 95 percent certainty that the results are within ±2.5 percentage points of what they would have been had the entire adult Canadian population been polled. The margin of error will be larger within regions and for other sub-groupings of the survey population.
For more information on this news release, please contact:
John Wright
Senior Vice-President
Angus Reid Group
(416) 324-2900
