Most (69%) Canadians Disagree that the Senate of Canada Performs a Necessary and Useful Political Function

Toronto, ON - The Senate of Canada has been in the spotlight unlike ever before, thanks to a $90,000 cheque written by Prime Minister Harper's former Chief of Staff, Nigel Wright, to Senator Mike Duffy to pay back illegitimate expense claims. Senators Wallin and Brazeau were also the subject of a more in-depth audit by Deloitte, and audits threaten to expand to other Senators. The scandal has derailed any positive messages that highlight the accomplishments of the Harper government and cast the Senate under a dark cloud. Since the scandal, a handful of Senators have resigned, and there are rumours that more could vacate their lifetime appointment. Ipsos' media partner, CTV, has declared this the top news story of the year.

According to a new Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of CTV News, most (69%) Canadians `disagree' (34% strongly/35% somewhat) that `the Senate of Canada performs a necessary and useful political function', compared to one in three (31%) who `agree' (5% strongly/26% somewhat) that the Senate performs a useful function. With sentiment towards the Senate so sour, it's likely that the institution will continue to be a millstone around the neck of the Prime Minister.

Belief that the Senate is useful is highest in Ontario at 38% -- still a minority - followed by those living in Alberta (32%), British Columbia (26%), Quebec (26%), Atlantic Canada (25%) and Saskatchewan and Manitoba (24%).

Conversely, residents of Saskatchewan and Manitoba (76%) are most likely to disagree that the Senate performs a necessary and useful political function, followed by residents of Atlantic Canada (75%), Quebec (74%), British Columbia (74%), Alberta (68%) and Ontario (62%).

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted between December 9th to 13th, 2013, on behalf of CTV News. For this survey, a sample of 2,535 Canadians 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. The precision of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case the poll is accurate to +/- 2.2 percentage points of the entire Canadian adult population. 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]

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.

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About Ipsos

Ipsos is an independent market research company controlled and managed by research professionals. Founded in France in 1975, Ipsos has grown into a worldwide research group with a strong presence in all key markets. In October 2011 Ipsos completed the acquisition of Synovate. The combination forms the world's third largest market research company.

With offices in 85 countries, Ipsos delivers insightful expertise across six research specializations: advertising, customer loyalty, marketing, media, public affairs research, and survey management.

Ipsos researchers 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 and they measure public opinion around the globe.

Ipsos has been listed on the Paris Stock Exchange since 1999 and generated global revenues of e1,789 billion (2.300 billion USD) in 2012.

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