Two Thirds (65%) of Canadians Believe Relationship between Canada and U.S. Will Be Better for Canadians with Obama Compared to Bush, but Most Believe Issue Progress Will Stay the Same, Not Get Better

Toronto, ON - As Barack Obama becomes President of the United States of America this afternoon, a new Ipsos Reid poll conducted exclusively on behalf of Canwest News Service and Global Television has revealed that two in three Canadians (65%) believe the overall relationship between Canada and the United States will be `better' for Canada and for Canadians during the Barack Obama Presidency compared to the George Bush Presidency.

Only one third of Canadians believe things will generally be the `same' (31%) for Canada and 4% think things will be `worse' for Canadians with President Obama at the helm.

Mr. Obama has indicated that he intends to pull troops out of Iraq and to re-deploy them in Afghanistan, and when he comes to Canada on his first official state visit abroad he could ask Prime Minister Harper to extend Canada's mission in Afghanistan beyond 2011. In response, most (71%) Canadians believe that the government of Canada should say `no to any extension of the mission in Afghanistan and bring the troops home on schedule in 2011'.

Only one quarter (23%) believe the government should `say yes to an extension, but make it a fixed period like two more years'. Just six percent (6%) feel the government should `say yes to an extension for at least as long as his Presidential term of four years'.

Thinking about some other topics that are likely to be considered or dealt with during the Obama Presidency and affect or involve Canada, the following outlines whether Canadians think things will be better, worse or the same for Canada under President Obama's leadership.

And, despite the belief by most (65%) that the overall relationship will be better, a majority believe that it will be the same old story for all of the issues on which they were polled:

• Border security - 31% better, 63% same, 5% worse
• Cross-border transit of people, goods and services - 34% better, 60% same, 7% worse
• Dealing with trade disputes - 38% better, 52% same, 10% worse
• Recognizing Canada's ownership of the Arctic--27% better, 63% same, 10% worse
• The regulation of financial markets - 43% better, 52% same, 5% worse
• Forest and industry complaints by U.S. counterparts - 25% better, 62% same, 13% worse
• The Canadian auto-manufacturing industry - 25% better, 60% same, 15% worse

Despite being critical of many of the policies that the American government has undertaken in the past while, six in ten (60%) Canadians `agree' (11% strongly/49% somewhat) that they `like and admire Americans, that is, citizens of the United States'--unchanged from an Ipsos Reid poll carried out and released in 2005. Four in ten Canadians (40%) `disagree' (7% strongly/33% somewhat) with this sentiment.

These are the findings of a poll conducted on behalf of Canwest News Service and Global National from January 13 to 15, 2009. This online survey of 1016 Canadian adults was conducted via the Ipsos I-Say Online Panel, Ipsos Reid's national online panel. The results of these polls are based on a sample where quota sampling and weighting are employed to balance demographics and ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the actual Canadian population according to Census data. Quota samples with weighting from the Ipsos online panel provide results that are intended to approximate a probability sample. Statistical margins of error are not applicable to online polls, however, an unweighted probability sample of this size, with a 100% response rate, would have an estimated margin of error of +/- 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, had the entire adult population of Canada been polled.

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

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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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