WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A majority of Canadians want Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to take a stronger stance in the face of alleged election interference by China and other recent security concerns, according to a poll released on Wednesday.
Data from polling firm Angus Reid Institute showed that 53% of respondents said they felt Canada’s response following a string of recent events, including the detention of two Canadians by Beijing, was “not strong enough”.
Another 41% said the federal government’s response was “about right” while 6% said it was “too strong”, the online poll showed.
“Canadians would like to see a stronger response to China from the Liberal government,” the Institute said following its survey of 1,622 Canadian adults from Feb. 23 to Feb. 25.
The poll, which has a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points, comes amid ongoing tensions between Canada and China over election and other security concerns.
Recent media reports have alleged ongoing Chinese interference in Canada’s elections, with Trudeau this week denying a report that his office was warned by China to drop a candidate.
Among those surveyed, 65% said they believe that the Chinese government “definitely” or “probably” tried to interfere in Canadian elections.
But while 69% said they believe the Canadian government “is afraid to stand up to China”, respondents were split over the potential economic fall out if Ottawa were to take stronger action, with 46% saying they were worried about potential financial consequences and another 46% dismissing such concerns, the Institute said.
(Reporting by Susan Heavey; Editing by Sharon Singleton)
