Canada : Only 32% back PM on Mideast

[tocqueville]

Only 32% back PM on Mideast
BRIAN LAGHI

OTTAWA BUREAU CHIEF

Stephen Harper's decision to support Israel in the current Middle East crisis appears out of step with the majority of Canadians, according to a new poll.

The survey finds that a majority of Canadians want their government to be neutral on the conflict and that Mr. Harper has tilted away from the traditional Canadian position. Moreover, they believe that the Conservative government is taking its cues from U.S. President George W. Bush.

The Globe and Mail/CTV poll also shows that Canadians are paying close attention to the conflict, and that Quebeckers are particularly concerned about the shift.

"What you're struck by is how unpopular the position he has taken is, especially in the province of Quebec," said Allan Gregg, chairman of the Strategic Counsel, the firm that conducted the poll.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20060801.POLL01/TPStory/

it indicates that Quebec is watching French-speaking TV like TV5 and get a less biased reporting

[stepnw1f]

1. About the Same as Bush's Approval Rating... (nt)

[mmonk]

2. Nice to know.

I was beginning to worry about Canadians. I would hope they wouldn't be for escalation of this crisis.

[redqueen]

3. So French-speaking media there is less biased?

Are the corporatists taking over the media in Canada as well?

Geeeeeez I really hate these corporatists!

[tocqueville]

4. I imagine that a lot of Quebeckers are tuning in on TV5

TV5 is a non-profit TV backed by France, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxemburg and Canada. So viewers are basically seeing the same news and debates than in the European French-speaking countries. And I imagine that there is aBIG difference from the local/US media. A lot are probably watching BBC too. On those channels you'll see reports and interviews that you won't see in the US. You can see interviews with Israeli that are not happy with the war, interviews with Lebanese, close pictures of the destruction...