Nearly three quarters of Canadians want convoy protesters to “go home now,” according to a new survey from the Angus Reid Institute. The public opinion poll also found that more than two thirds of Canadians think Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s actions have made the situation worse.
“If the goal of the Freedom Convoy was to capture the attention of millions of people in Canada and around the globe – mission accomplished,” the report from Angus Reid says. “If, however, the goal was to build support for their demands to end pandemic-related restrictions – it has backfired utterly.”
The survey comes after more than two weeks of protests against COVID-19 mandates in Ottawa and across Canada. The Trudeau government is now invoking the Emergencies Act to deal with ongoing demonstrations.
Seventy-two per cent of respondents in the Angus Reid poll said protesters should “go home now, they have madxjmtzywe their point.” Ninety-three per cent supported some sort of action to remove them, with 68 per cent wanting the police or military to do so by force. Just 26 per cent said politicians should negotiate a solution. Forty-four per cent even said the protests made them more inclined to support measures like indoor masking and showing proof of vaccination at the Canada-U.S. border.
Only 22 per cent of respondents said protesters should “stay in Ottawa and other protest sites until their demands are met.”
Even if the majority of respondents weren’t supportive of continued protests, they certainly were paying attention: nearly two thirds, or 64 per cent, reported they were following developments closely while just one per cent said they had never heard about them.
Respondents also blamed a cast of politicians for making matters worse, with 65 per cent pointing out Trudeau and 42 per cent criticizing interim Conservative leader Candice Bergen. The premiers of Ontario and Alberta were also similarly criticized by 50 and 49 per cent of respondents.
The findings were based on an online survey of 1,622 Canadian adults conducted between Feb. 11 and 13. The Angus Reid Institute describes itself as a national not-for-profit that conducts opinion polls and research on issues affecting Canadians.
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People talk with police officers as trucks block a downtown street during protests against COVID-19 restrictions in Ottawa on Saturday, February 12, 2022. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Patrick Doyle)
