On policy, foreign; wars, Iraqi; and marriage, same-sex

Missed this one during my round-up of the orgy of Canada Day polling data but it still bears mentioning, with a number if interesting comparatives to out American cousins.

First, the war on Iraq:

Opposition to the war is huge in Canada, where 82 per cent of respondents said the invasion was the wrong decision. That's a major reversal from five years ago, during the early days of the conflict, when 51 per cent of poll respondents said Canadian troops should jump to the aid of the United States.

It's also a change that is being reflected south of the border where 54 per cent of American respondents to this month's survey said their country never should have become involved militarily in Iraq.

I don’t recall the war polling that high in Canada at the time, unless the sample was confined to newspaper columnists, editorial writers and the Conservative caucus, or Alliance caucus, whatever they were calling themselves back then. Nice to see though that time has reaffirmed the sound decision of Prime Minister Jean Chretien and the Liberal government of the day. And it bears mentioning we’d be in that war now if Stephen Harper had been Prime Minister at the time:

Opposition leader Stephen Harper has told Fox News in the U.S. that most Canadians outside Quebec support the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, despite our government's decision not to take part in the war.

In an interview with the American TV network, Harper said he endorsed the war and said he was speaking "for the silent majority" of Canadians. Only in Quebec, with its "pacifist tradition," are most people opposed to the war, Harper said.

OK, I guess they were calling it the Alliance then. Anyway, what I actually found more interesting were the numbers regarding same-sex marriage, which again vindicate another decision taken by the previous Liberal government, and opposed tooth and nail by the Harper Conservatives:

And finally, the poll suggests that Canadian support for same-sex marriage is growing. Two years ago, 55 per cent of Canadians surveyed said they would not want to repeal the law that allows the unions. The more recent survey found that 68 per cent of respondents back gay marriage.

Support in the United States is not as strong; just 44 per cent of people polled in that country said they are in favour.

These numbers aren’t surprising, but they are reassuring. They show Canadians are a reasonable, understanding people. Many weren’t too comfortable with the idea of same-sex marriage a few years ago. But now that we’re there, and the sky hasn’t fallen, they see it’s not such a big deal. We’re evolving as a society, and moving forward. Even if some want to take us backward.

Recommend this Post on Progressive Bloggers