Majority (54%) Believe Troops Should
Stay In Afghanistan Past 2009

Ottawa, ON - In light of Prime Minister Harper's appointment of a five-person panel to review the future of Canada's role in Afghanistan, a new Ipsos Reid poll conducted exclusively on behalf of CanWest News Service and Global Television reveals that a majority (54%) of Canadians want Canadian troops to continue to be stationed in Afghanistan, while those who want a full withdrawal of Canadians troops from Afghanistan are in the minority (44%). Two percent (2%) do not know what they would prefer.

However, it appears that many Canadians would prefer to have Canada's current mission altered away from the current combat-intensive mission, with four in ten (40%) agreeing that Canada should `keep troops there, but have them do something like train Afghani soldiers or police officers'. Just 14% of Canadians believe that the government should `extend our current role and mission as required'.

Canadians across the country are not uniform in their opinions on this matter. Those most likely to indicate that they would like to see a full withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan are most likely to come from Quebec (51%), followed by residents of Atlantic Canada (47%), Ontario (43%), British Columbia (42%), Saskatchewan/Manitoba (42%) and Alberta (33%). Younger Canadians, aged 18 to 34, are more likely (49%) to adopt this stance than are middle-aged (43%), aged 35 to 54, or older Canadians (40%). Women (51%) are much more likely than men (36%) to believe that Canada's troops should be withdrawn from Afghanistan when the current mission ends in 2009.

Those most likely to support the notion that Canadian soldiers should be redeployed to activities which primarily include the training of Afghan police and soldiers are most likely to come from Alberta (45%), followed by British Columbia (43%), Saskatchewan/Manitoba (41%), Ontario (41%), Quebec (36%) and Atlantic Canada (35%). Older Canadians are more likely (43%) to support this type of mission than are middle-aged (41%) or younger Canadians (36%). Men (46%) are more likely than women (35%) to support this type of mission.

And the Canadians who most likely to support an extension of our current role and mission as required are most likely to come from Alberta (22%), followed by Saskatchewan/Manitoba (21%), Atlantic Canada (18%), British Columbia (14%), Ontario (13%), and Quebec (12%). There are no significant differences among age categories, however men (17%) are more likely (12%) than women to support extending Canada's current combat role as required.

These are the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted for CanWest News Service/Global News and fielded from Oct 9 -14, 2007. For this survey, a representative randomly selected sample of 1,001 adult Canadians was interviewed by telephone. With a sample of this size, the aggregate 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 each sub-grouping of the survey population. These data were weighted to ensure the sample's regional and age/sex composition reflects that of the actual Canadian population according to Census data.

For more information on this news release, please contact:
Dr. Darrell Bricker
President & COO
Ipsos Reid
Public Affairs
416-509-8460
[email protected]

About Ipsos Reid
Ipsos Reid is Canada's market intelligence leader, the country's leading provider of public opinion research, and research partner for loyalty and forecasting and modelling insights. With operations in eight cities, Ipsos Reid employs more than 600 research professionals and support staff in Canada. The company has the biggest network of telephone call centres in the country, as well as the largest pre-recruited household and online panels. Ipsos Reid's marketing research and public affairs practices offer the premier suite of research vehicles in Canada, all of which provide clients with actionable and relevant information. Staffed with seasoned research consultants with extensive industry-specific backgrounds, Ipsos Reid offers syndicated information or custom solutions across key sectors of the Canadian economy, including consumer packaged goods, financial services, automotive, retail, and technology & telecommunications. Ipsos Reid is an Ipsos company, a leading global survey-based market research group.

To learn more, please visit www.ipsos.ca.

Ipsos
Ipsos is a leading global survey-based market research company, owned and managed by research professionals. Ipsos helps interpret, simulate, and anticipate the needs and responses of consumers, customers, and citizens around the world.

Member companies assess market potential and interpret market trends. They develop and build brands. They help clients build long-term relationships with their customers. They test advertising and study audience responses to various media. They measure public opinion around the globe.

Ipsos member companies offer expertise in advertising, customer loyalty, marketing, media, and public affairs research, as well as forecasting, modeling, and consulting. Ipsos has a full line of custom, syndicated, omnibus, panel, and online research products and services, guided by industry experts and bolstered by advanced analytics and methodologies. The company was founded in 1975 and has been publicly traded since 1999. In 2006, Ipsos generated global revenues of 857.1 million euros ($1.1 billion USD).

Visit www.ipsos.com to learn more about Ipsos offerings and capabilities.

Ipsos, listed on the Eurolist of Euronext - Comp B, is part of SBF 120 and the Mid-100 Index, adheres to the Next Prime segment and is eligible to the Deferred Settlement System. Isin FR0000073298, Reuters ISOS.PA, Bloomberg IPS:FP