Support For War In Afghanistan Climbs (+6 Points) In Wake Of Hamid Karzai's Visit

News Release, Ipsos News Centre, October 6, 2006

Recent Polls & Research

September 9: Half (51%) Of Canadians Support Combat Operations In Afghanistan - Up 4 Points From Late July

Toronto, ON - It would appear that Afghan President Hamid Karzai's recent visit to Canada and speech to Parliament and Prime Minister Harper's impassioned oration at the United Nations have had the effect of bolstering support for the war in Afghanistan, according to a new Ipsos Reid survey conducted on behalf of Can West/Global News.

Currently, 57% of Canadians support (28% strongly support) the use of troops in combat operations in Afghanistan's a rise of 6 points over the past three weeks and an increase of 10 points from a late July 2006 Ipsos Reid survey.

In fact, the poll suggests that many of the federal government's key messages about the need for the war in Afghanistan appear to be resonating among the electorate, for example:

- 80% agree that Canadians are "performing a vital humanitarian mission in Afghanistan to help protect the civilian population build a new life";

- 76% feel they are "winning recognition in the world that Canada can make a difference"; and

- 60% feel they are "helping win the global war on terror by rooting out potential terrorists in Afghanistan".

- But Canadians are cautious about making any further commitments to the current battle.

- Fifty-one percent of Canadians are of the opinion that when 2009 comes (the current length of Canada's commitment in Afghanistan), regardless of the success we have had, we should exit Afghanistan and let other countries shoulder the mission.

- Forty-four percent believe that when 2009 comes, regardless of the success we have had, we should stay the course and finish the job even if it means staying longer.

These are the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted for CanWest News Service/Global News and fielded from September 26-28th, 2006.

For this survey, a representative randomly selected sample of 1009 adult Canadians was interviewed by telephone. With a sample of this size, the aggregate results are considered accurate to within +/-3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had the entire adult Canadian population been polled. The margin of error will be larger within each sub-grouping of the survey population. These data were weighted to ensure the sample's regional and age/sex composition reflects that of the actual Canadian population according to Census data.

Please open attached pdf's for full report and tabular results.

For more information or to schedule a media interview, please contact:

John Wright

Senior Vice President

Ipsos Reid Publc Affairs

(416) 324-2900

john.wright@ipsos-reid.com

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