41 per cent of Canadians support Mark Carney's move to recognize Palestinian state: poll

National Post

7 days ago

A plurality of Canadians believe Canada's move to recognize a Palestinian state is a good idea, while nearly one-third of Canadians are against it, according to recent polling.
Article content
The polling by Leger for Postmedia found that 41 per cent of poll respondents support Prime Minister Mark Carney's decision to recognize a state of Palestine. In late July, Carney's office announced that if certain conditions were met, Canada would recognize such a state at the United Nations General Assembly in September.
Article content
Article content
Article content
'From a government policy perspective, I've seen governments put forward policies that have less support than that, and managed to get things through. So, I don't think this is going to be a big challenge, big issue for the government,' said Andrew Enns, Leger's executive vice-president for central Canada.
Article content
Article content
The possible Canadian recognition came with some conditions that are unlikely to be met. They include commitments from the Palestinian Authority (which exercises partial control over the West Bank) to reforms including holding elections in which the Hamas terror group plays no role and to 'demilitarize the Palestinian state.'
Article content
The poll found 28 per cent of Canadians believe it to be a bad idea, while 31 per cent told pollsters they did not know if it was good or bad or refused to answer.
Article content
Enns said previous polling shows that awareness of the conflict between Israel and Gaza is relatively high, but people are clearly struggling to know what the right answer is around Palestinian statehood.
Article content
Article content
While Leger hasn't asked poll respondents specifically about the recognition of a Palestinian state, previous polling from Innovative Research Group found, in June 2024, around 49 per cent of Canadians believed that a state should be created for Palestinians.
Article content
Article content
Support for a Palestinian state is highest in Quebec, at 44 per cent, followed closely by British Columbia at 42 per cent and Ontario at 41 per cent. In Atlantic Canada, 40 per cent believe it's a good idea. The Prairie provinces are the most skeptical: just 33 per cent of those in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta believe such a move is a good one.
Article content
Atlantic Canadians, at 13 per cent, are the least likely to say it's a bad idea. Twenty-five per cent of Quebecers, 28 per cent of Ontarians, 30 per cent of those in B.C. and 34 per cent of those in Manitoba and Saskatchewan also say it's a bad idea. Albertans, at 40 per cent, are the most likely to say that it's a bad idea.
Article content
'I wondered whether or not the lower support for the move by the Canadian government is maybe more tied to the politics and the fact that there's less Liberal support in Alberta and the Prairies,' said Enns. 'Maybe it's just a bit of a reaction to 'Well, if this is what the Liberal government is doing, I don't think I like it.''