Majority (56%) of Canadians Support Bill C-30,
But Most (80%) Believe Bill May Lead to Government/Police Spying on Canadians for Activities Outside the
Realm of Illegal Activity

Toronto, ON - Despite fierce and vocal opposition to Bill C-30, also known as the "Protecting Children from Internet Predators Act", those most vocal appear to be in the minority, according a new Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of Postmedia News and Global Television. A majority (56%) of online Canadians `support' (15% strongly/41% somewhat) Bill C-30 as it stands, while a minority (44%) `oppose' (21% strongly/23% somewhat).

While there is near uniformity across the provinces, the data reveal that women (65%) are considerably more likely than men (46%) to be supportive of bill C-30, as are those aged 55+ (64%) when compared to those aged 35 to 54 (57%) and 18 to 34 (44%). Further, parents of kids aged 17 or younger are much more likely to be in support (64%) of the bill than those without kids in the household (54%).

Those who use the internet `all of the time' are least likely (50%) to be supportive of the bill, while those who use the net `some of the time' (65%), `occasionally' (51%) or `not that often' (66%) are on the whole more likely to be supportive.

Perhaps explaining why the opposition appears to be most vocal, those who strongly oppose the bill outnumber those who strongly support it. This is likely one of the reasons that the government has recently announced that it has put the bill on hold and will review some of the more contentious components prior to proceeding further with it.

The bill has been introduced by the Federal Conservative Government as an amendment to the Criminal Code of Canada. It would grant police lawful access to information about internet users' activities in relation to cyber crimes without having to obtain a warrant. The bill would also require internet service providers (ISPs) to change the way they collect information about users by aggregating it and holding on to it for longer periods of time. This information would also be provided to police officers during investigations without a warrant.

While a majority supports the bill as it currently stands, most (80%) `agree' (35% strongly/45% somewhat) that `Bill C-30 may lead to government/police spying on Canadians for activities outside the realm of illegal activity', while just 20% `disagree' (6% strongly/14% somewhat) that this is a possibility.

The issue erupted last week when Public Safety Minister Vic Toews suggested in the House of Commons that those who don't stand with the government stand with child pornographers, and the data reveals that this is indeed a contentious thought. Half of Canadians (49%) `agree' (17% strongly/33% somewhat) that `those who oppose Bill C-30 as it currently stands are actually enabling child pornographers', while the other half (51%) of Canadians `disagree' (24% strongly/26% somewhat) that this is the case. Reflecting on the status quo, while most (54%) Canadians believe that laws governing privacy on the internet are currently `about right', those who believe they are `too relaxed/open' (35%) outnumber those who believe they're `too strict/invasive' (11%).

Thinking about various components that could be included in a final version of the legislation:

• Just one quarter (23%) would `support' (7% strongly/16% somewhat) legislation that `would enable police to access their subscriber information, such as their name and address, without a warrant'. This is currently the provision that is precipitating the most public outcry. Most (77%) Canadians would `oppose' (53% strongly/23% somewhat) police having this type of power.
• Six in ten (59%) would `support' (24% strongly/35% somewhat) federal legislation in Canada that `would enable police to access information about their activities on the internet, such as emails or web surfing activity, with a warrant'. Four in ten (41%) would `oppose' (24% strongly/17% somewhat) this type of provision.
• One in three (35%) would `support' (9% strongly/26% somewhat) legislation that `makes it legal for internet service providers to retain personal subscriber data such as emails and web surfing activities so that police may access them at a future date'. Conversely, two in three (65%) would `oppose' (37% strongly/28% somewhat) this provision.
• Most (75%) would `support' (32% strongly/43% somewhat) legislation that `would help police to quickly gain information for suspected criminals, such as their name and address so they can be further investigated or arrested', while one quarter (25%) `oppose' (12% strongly/13% somewhat) such measures.

Proponents of the bill have argued that `the bill modernizes Canadian criminal law by giving police long-awaited technological capabilities to catch online criminals, such as creators of child pornography and hackers'. Detractors argue that `C-30 is an invasion of the Canadian Charter right to personal privacy and that the police and government would have too much power to snoop on the public'.

Reflecting on these two points of view, Canadians appear evenly split: half (52%) more closely believe that `the bill modernizes the law by giving police long-awaited technological capabilities to catch online criminals', while the other half (48%) more closely believes that `C-30 is an invasion of the Canadian Charter right to personal privacy and that the police and government would have too much power'.

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted between February 24 to February 27, 2012, on behalf of Postmedia News and Global Television. For this survey, a sample of 1,018 adults from Ipsos' Canadian online panel was interviewed online. Weighting was then employed to balance demographics to ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the adult population according to Census data and to provide results intended to approximate the sample universe. A survey with an unweighted probability sample of this size and a 100% response rate would have an estimated margin of error of +/- 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what the results would have been had the entire population of adults in Canada been polled. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error and measurement error.

For more information on this news release, please contact:

John Wright
Senior Vice President
Ipsos Reid
Public Affairs
416.324.2002
[email protected]

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