In Wake of "Mountie Mutiny", Majority (56%) Still Believes Appointment of William Elliott as Commissioner of RCMP Was the Right Decision,
But Country Split (51%/49%) on Whether He Should Stay in the Job

Toronto, ON - The RCMP are once again in turmoil, with senior officials in the RCMP speaking out against civilian Commissioner William Elliott's leadership, but a new Ipsos Reid poll conducted on behalf of Canada.com has revealed that a majority of Canadians continue to believe that the Prime Minister was right to appoint a civilian commissioner to clean up and reform the RCMP, however the country is more evenly divided on whether he should keep his job or be replaced in light of the allegations against him.

Based on what they have seen, read or heard about the RCMP, in hindsight, nearly six in ten (56%) Canadians believe that the Prime Minister's appointment of a civilian commissioner was the `right decision', compared to 44% who believe it was the wrong decision.

While the Prime Minister argued that William Elliot was the man to clean up the Force and restore confidence in the upper ranks of the RCMP, just 12% of Canadians say that they think things are getting `better' (12%) in the RCMP, while one quarter (23%) of Canadians think things are getting `worse'. Most (65%) have noticed no change with how things are going with the RCMP since Commissioner Elliott has taken over.

Perhaps as a result of this perceived lack of improvement, Canadians are less sure whether having Commissioner Elliott continue in his role is the right decision, in light of the complains levied against the Commissioner by many senior-ranking officials within the force.

One half (49%) of Canadians more closely align with the sentiment that `the Prime Minister should listen to these officers and remove Commissioner Elliot because they know best what type of leadership and change will work at the RCMP'. However, the other half (51%) of Canadians more closely believe that `these officers are objecting to Commissioner Elliott because he is leading the type of change the RCMP needs and they'd rather keep things they way they are', and so these Canadians believe Commissioner Elliott should `stay in the job'.

Despite efforts to improve the RCMP's image over the past few years, the poll revealed that fewer Canadians now, compared to three years ago, believe that the RCMP is doing a good job. Just one half (51%) of Canadians believe that the most senior leaders at the highest levels of the RCMP are doing a `good job' (10% great/42% good) in the management and accountability of the force - a drop of 6 points.

And while seven in ten (69%) Canadians believe that the regular officers who do their job in Canada's communities every day are doing a `good job' (20% great/49% somewhat), this represents a significant drop of 11 points since three years ago.

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted between July 30 and August 4, 2010, on behalf of Canada.com. For this survey, a sample of 1,615 adults from Ipsos' Canadian online panel was interviewed online. Weighting was then employed to balance demographics and 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 +/-2.5 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.

Appointing a Civilian Commissioner of the RCMP...

While a majority (56%) of Canadians, overall, believe that appointing William Elliott as commissioner of the RCMP was the right decision, some are more likely than others to think so:

• Quebecers (65%) and Albertans (64%) are most likely to believe the Prime Minister made the right decision in this regards, while those living in Atlantic Canada (58%), Saskatchewan and Manitoba (52%), Ontario (51%) and British Columbia (47%) are less likely to think so.
• Women (61%) are considerably more likely than men (50%) to believe that the appointment of a civilian commissioner was the right decision.
• While a majority of those aged 18 to 34 (65%) and 35 to 54 (58%) think it was the right decision, just 45% of those over the age of 55 believe so.

Should he Stay or Should he Go...

In light of the recent accusations levied against him by many of the top brass of the RCMP, the country is split down the middle as to whether Commissioner Elliott should stay on (51%) in his current role or whether the Prime Minister should replace him (49%). However, some groups of Canadians are leaning one way, while others believe the opposite:

• A majority of Albertans (57%), Quebecers (56%) and residents of Saskatchewan and Manitoba (55%) believe that he should stay in his current position, while a minority of those living in Ontario (49%), Atlantic Canada (46%) and British Columbia (45%) believe he should continue to lead the RCMP.
• A majority (58%) of younger and middle-aged (54%) adults believe he should continue to lead, while just 42% of older Canadians agree.

Only One Half (51%) Believe Upper Brass are Doing a Good Job...

Just one half (51%) of all Canadians believe that the leadership at the highest levels of the RCMP are doing a good job in its management and accountability of the force. And Canadians do not agree on this at all:

• Residents of Saskatchewan and Manitoba (67%) are most likely to think so, followed by those living in Quebec (55%), Atlantic Canada (54%), Ontario (52%), British Columbia (41%) and Alberta (40%).
• Women (55%) are significantly more likely than men (47%) to think they're doing a good job.
• A majority of middle-aged (54%) and younger (52%) Canadians also think so, while a minority of older Canadians (46%) think the upper brass are doing a good job managing the force.

Seven in Ten (69%) Believe Rank and File Officers are Doing a Good Job...

Seven in ten (69%) Canadians believe that the officers that work in our communities every day are doing a good job, overall:

• Residents of Saskatchewan and Manitoba (85%) are most likely to think they're doing a good job, followed by those living in Atlantic Canada (74%), Ontario (73%), British Columbia (67%), Alberta (63%) and Quebec (63%).
• Interestingly, older (76%) and middle-aged (72%) are much more likely than younger adults (58%) to believe that the regular officers who serve in our communities are doing a good job.

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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