Majority (53%) of Canadians Say Gun Registry Should be Scrapped

Toronto, ONTARIO - According to a new Ipsos-Reid/CTV/Globe and Mail poll released today, a majority (53%) of Canadians say that major cost over-runs show that the national gun registry is badly organized, isn't working properly and should therefore be scrapped. Four in ten (43%) take the position that even though the registry has had management problems and has gone over budget, it has saved lives and should be continued.

However, despite the problems confronting the Liberal government regarding the ballooning costs for the national gun registry, the Liberals (41%; down three points since October) remain the most popular party on the federal front. The Progressive Conservatives (17%; up two points), the Canadian Alliance (16%; up one point), the NDP (12%; down one point), and the federal Green Party (6%, up two points) trail far behind. Within Quebec, the Bloc Quebecois (34%, down two points; nationally 8%) remain statistically tied with the federal Liberals (Quebec 39%) within the province. Seven percent (up two points) remain undecided and 3% would not vote.

These are the findings of an Ipsos-Reid/CTV/Globe and Mail poll conducted between December 10th and December 12th, 2002. The poll is based on a randomly selected sample of 1,000 adult Canadians. With a sample of this size, the results are considered accurate to within 177 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, 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. These data were statistically weighted to ensure the sample's regional and age/sex composition reflects that of the actual Canadian population according to the 2001 Census data.

When asked about the $1 billion cost of the national gun registry, a majority (53%) of Canadians say that major cost over-runs show that the national gun registry is badly organized, isn't working properly and should therefore be scrapped. Four in ten (43%) hold the opposing position that even though the registry has had management problems and has gone over budget, it has saved lives and should be continued.

• Regionally, the view that the registry should be scrapped is stronger among Western Canadians, with two-thirds of British Columbians (67%) and Albertans (67%) as well as 62% of residents of Manitoba/Saskatchewan believing this to be the case. In comparison, just over half (54%) of those in Atlantic Canada hold this view, in addition to 48% of Ontarians and 45% of Quebecers.
• Canadians who live in rural areas (62%) are more likely to want the Government to scrap the gun registry than are those who live in urban areas (51%) of the country.
• Older (62%) Canadians are more likely to say scrap the registry than are middle aged (54%) or younger (43%) Canadians.
• Men (60%) are more likely to hold this view than are women (47%).
• Eight in ten (83%) of Canadian Alliance supporters say the gun registry should be scrapped, along with 63% of Conservative supports. This compares to only 41% of Liberal voters who hold this view.

Despite the problems confronting the Liberal government regarding the ballooning costs for the gun registry, they remain the most popular party (41%; down three points since October) on the federal front.

• The Liberals remain strongest within Ontario (51%), Atlantic Canada (46%), and Quebec (39%), and are less popular in British Columbia (31%), Saskatchewan/Manitoba (28%) and Alberta (24%).
• The Liberals garner the support of 45% of younger voters, 41% of older voters, and 38% of middle aged voters.
• Voters in lower (44%) and upper (43%) income households are slightly more likely to support the Liberals than are those in middle income households (38%).

Progressive Conservatives (17%; up two points), the Canadian Alliance (16%; up one point), the NDP (12%; down one point), and the federal Green Party (6%, up two points) trail far behind. Within Quebec, the Bloc Quebecois (34%, down 2 points; nationally 8%) remain statistically tied with the federal Liberals (Quebec 39%) within the province. Seven percent (up two points) remain undecided and 3% would not vote.

• The Tories receive their highest level of support among voters in Atlantic Canada (34%) and Ontario (22%), while their lowest support occurs among Quebec (5%) voters. There is no statistical difference in support levels for the Conservatives across age, gender or household income groups.
• The Canadian Alliance is strongest in its base of Western Canada with their highest support found among voters in Alberta (48%), followed by Saskatchewan/Manitoba (32%) and British Columbia (31%). Support is lower among voters in Ontario (11%), Atlantic Canada (5%) and Quebec (2%). Older (20%) and middle aged (18%) voters are more likely to express support for the CA than are younger (10%) voters. Support is also higher among men (19%) than women (13%).
• The NDP records their highest support level among voters in Saskatchewan/Manitoba (22%) and women (16% versus 8% of men), as well as lower income households (15%).
• Green Party support is concentrated in British Columbia (13%), and among younger (9%) voters.
• Within Quebec, the Bloc Quebecois (34%, nationally 8%) remain statistically tied with the federal Liberals (Quebec 39%) within the province.

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For more information on this news release, please contact:

Darrell Bricker
President and COO
Ipsos-Reid Public Affairs
(416) 324-2900