Nine in 10 (88%) Support Role for Armed Forces to Fight COVID-19

Toronto, ON, March 26, 2020 — An overwhelming majority of Canadians are supportive of the Canadian Armed Forces being called in to help fight the spread of COVID-19, according to an Ipsos poll conducted on behalf of the Conference of Defence Associations (CDA) Institute.  

Governments around the world are ramping up their efforts in a race against the clock to combat the spread of COVID-19 and Canada is no exception. This week has seen more stern rhetoric from not only the Prime Minister, but also several provincial premiers and public health officials regarding advice to stay at home and to limit non-essential outings. With the scale of the outbreak increasing with each day, more hands are needed in the effort to combat the spread of the virus and some are mulling over the role that the Canadian military may have to play in these efforts.

Of the 88% who see a role for the Canadian Armed Forces to play in helping the country during this time of global need, majorities would like to see the members of the military playing a part in facilitating the delivery of medical and other necessary supplies (65%), protecting the safety of Canadians by supporting law enforcement to maintain public order (64%), and continuing to use CFB Trenton as a quarantining point of entry for at-risk or infected travellers and evacuees (58%). Other ways in which Canadian see the CAF pitching in include:

Support for CAF involvement is highest among those in the 55+ age group, with over 7 in 10 in that age group being supportive of the CAF being involved in the delivery of medical supplies (73%) and continued use of CFB Trenton for quarantine efforts (72%). Furthermore, Canadians across all regions approve of military assistance in fighting the spread of coronavirus, highlighting the urgency and truly national nature of a crisis that has touched every single province and almost every territory. As COVID-19 continues to affect more Canadians with each passing day, the men and women currently serving in the CAF surely remain on standby, ready to step in at a moment’s notice to put their capabilities, experience, and expertise to the service of the nation during its time of need.

About the Study

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos poll conducted between March 20-23, 2020, on behalf of on behalf of the Conference of Defence Associations (CDA) Institute. For this survey, a sample of 2,002 Canadians aged 18+ was interviewed online. Quotas and weighting were employed to ensure that the sample’s composition reflects that of the Canadian population according to census parameters. The precision of Ipsos online polls is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the poll is accurate to within ± 2.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, had all Canadians aged 18+ been polled. The credibility interval will be wider among subsets of the 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:

Darrell Bricker, PhD
CEO, Ipsos Global Public Affairs
+1 416 324-2001
[email protected]

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