83 per cent want stricter controls to battle known terrorists

OTTAWA - Nearly two-thirds of Canadians think the country is increasingly threatened by ethnic problems imported by immigrant groups. Even more support tougher immigration standards to screen out terrorists.

Those are some key findings of a public opinion survey commissioned for the annual Ottawa conference of the Canadian Defence & Foreign Affairs Institute, which begins today.

The Innovative Research Group poll found 63% agree Canada is having increasing trouble with ethnic groups bringing problems from their home countries to Canada. First-generation Canadians -- those born here to immigrant parents -- were the most concerned, with 70% holding that view.

Though 19th-century groups like the Irish Fenians carried their Old World conflicts with them to Canada, historian David Bercuson says the import of ethnic disputes is new to recent Canadian experience.

"In the post-9/11 world, it strikes a lot of people as being somewhat dangerous," Mr. Bercuson said.

The poll -- called The World in Canada: Demographics and Diversity in Canadian Foreign Policy -- found 83% of Canadians think the country needs stricter immigration standards to control the presence of known terrorists.

"The survey shows a hardening of Canadians' stance towards new Canadians in the context of public fears, largely unjustified, that increased levels of immigration represent a security risk," says Rudyard Griffiths, executive director of the Dominion Institute, a Toronto-based think-tank and one of the poll's sponsors.

With ethnic voters gaining ever-greater influence, Mr. Bercuson predicts political parties will be reluctant to act. "Politicians will walk there only with great trepidation."

Despite the sentiment favouring tougher immigration standards, 63% of Canadians say they are worried concern about terrorism could lead to abuse of the rights of Canadians from Arabic or Islamic countries.

This fear probably arises from the publicity given to cases such as that of Mahar Arar, where human rights appear to have been flagrantly abused. "You sort of say, if they can do it to him, would they do it to me?" Mr. Bercuson says.

The fact that Canada has so far escaped direct terrorist attack has helped keep the balance of public sentiment on the side of preserving civil liberties, he says. "Canadians don't see a clear and present danger to their own lives and security of property."

That will likely change if Canada comes under attack, Mr. Bercuson says. "I don't think Canadians are any more or less immune from fright than anyone else in the world."

The poll found that Canadians generally agree on the country's foreign policy direction. Where differences exist, they are the enduring divisions between French- and English-Canadians, not new fractures between newcomers and established Canadians.

"Immigrants are just as likely to believe in strong military and foreign affairs policy for Canada," says Mr. Griffiths.

Mr. Bercuson says new Canadians are more likely to share the views of English-Canadians than those of French-Canadians. "If there's a major division in this country on an international question," he warns, "that could be very dangerous."

Nearly three-quarters of those surveyed think the United States has been an "unreliable and unilateral trading and security partner."

Partly for that reason, they endorse the government's new focus on shifting trade from traditional partners such as the U.S., England and France and to emerging countries such as China and India. Nearly two-thirds think that's a good idea, though barely half of French-Canadians agree.

The findings disappoint Mr. Bercuson. "Canadians are being completely unreasonable and unrealistic," he says, "because it's not going to happen.

"I think Canadians are mad at the United States right now, so they want to strike back. This looks like a way of striking back."

Canadians should ask themselves whether China would be more reliable, he says. "They haven't been such a good buddy either in international trading circles."

OTHER FINDINGS:

- While two-thirds of respondents think Canada needs an effective military force to play a significant role in international affairs, only 49% of French-Canadians agree.

- Paradoxically, 81% of French-Canadians are confident the military could respond in a timely way to a major natural emergency in Canada. Just 66% of newcomers and 68% of English-Canadians agree.

- Despite skepticism about U.S. reliability among Canadians of all backgrounds, 59% think Canada has found the right balance in its co-operation with the Americans on foreign policy and security issues.

- Canadians are split on whether Canada should increase its foreign aid to failing states such as Haiti, Somalia and Afghanistan if it means spending less on health and education here.

- 56% think Canada should direct foreign aid to countries where there has been a significant loss of life. One in five thinks it should be focused on important trading partners.

- Just under half think Canada should give priority to promoting democratic elections in unstable countries, even if it increases short-term instability. Thirty-nine per cent believe Canada should give priority to stabilization and recovery efforts, even if it means supporting undemocratic rule in the short term.

Source: CanWest News Service

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