Canadians' Views on the Plight of Canadian Airlines

Eight out of ten Canadians believe that Canadian Airlines' request for wage cuts should be put to a vote among union members, even if the elected union leadership is opposed.

Two-thirds agree with the Federal Government ordering a vote on this issue among the members of the Canadian Auto Workers Union (CAW).

A solid majority of Canadians (80%) feel that Canadian Airlines' request for wage cuts from its unionized employees should be put to a vote, even though the union's elected leaders oppose such a vote, and a majority (65%) say that they agree with the Federal Government ordering a vote among CAW members on the issue. These are some of the findings of a survey conducted by the Angus Reid Group on behalf of Southam News. The poll was conducted by telephone on the evening of December 5th, 1996 among 750 Canadian adults.

Request For Vote Should Be Voted On By Union Members

Canadians were read a description of the present situation with Canadian Airlines and asked, "In your view, should Canadian Airlines' request for wage cuts be put to a vote among CAW members even if the elected union leadership is opposed?" There is a broad consensus (80%) that CAW members should vote on the airline's request, despite the objections of the union leadership. A minority (16%) of those surveyed feel that a vote should not take place.

Federal Government Involvement Supported

Two-thirds of Canadians surveyed (65%) say that they agree with the Federal Government ordering a vote among CAW members on Canadian Airlines' request for wage cuts, even though a vote is strongly opposed by the leadership of the CAW Union. Less than one-third of the respondents (29%) disagree with the Federal Government taking this step and another 5% of those surveyed have no opinion.

Canadians Expect That Air Service Would Be Worse If There Were Only One National Airline

Two-thirds of Canadians (65%) believe that air service in Canada would be hurt if there were only one national airline, while about one-third (30%) feel that air service would stay about the same as it is today.

This Southam-Angus Reid Group Poll was conducted by telephone December 5, 1996 among a representative cross-section of 750 Canadian adults.

Results from a survey sample of this size are considered statistically accurate (95% confidence) with 1773.6%, 19 times out of 20. The margin or error will be larger within sub-groupings of the survey population.

For more information, please contact:

Darrel Bricker
Senior Vice President
Angus Reid Group
(613) 241-5802