While Obama’s popularity has declined slightly from mid-February when an Angus Reid poll found that 82 per cent of Canadians had a favorable opinion of him, the president’s numbers remain exceedingly high. The Harris/Decima survey found that 73 per cent of respondents think that Obama is doing an excellent or good job. Only 4 per cent of Canadians think that he is doing a poor job.
Harris/Decima released a poll last Friday about U.S. president Barack Obama’s popularity in Canada. The poll surveyed 1,000 Canadians between June 18 and 21, 2009 and is considered accurate within a margin of error of 3.1 per cent, 19 times out of 20.
Regarding Obama’s handling of the U.S. economy, two thirds of those polled described it as either excellent or good. Five per cent of those asked felt that he was doing a poor job handling the economy. On the matter of foreign affairs, those who felt that he was doing excellent or good increased to 69 per cent. And when the following was put to those polled; President Obama is a great speaker, but not successful at tackling important issues, only 21 per cent of Canadians agreed.
Perhaps the most important and telling question was about whether or not the Obama administration is good or bad for Canada. Over three quarters of those polled (76 per cent) feel that Obama has been good for Canada; 12 per cent think that he has been bad for the country.
It is trite to say that Canadians are, by and large, further to the left than the majority of Americans are. And Canadians do not have to live with many of the consequences that arise from the day to day governing by the Obama administration and the Democrat Party controlled Congress. So it is not surprising that Barack Obama’s numbers would be higher in this country than they are in the United States.
The reaction of Canadians to Obama’s spending and handling of the American economy is understandable. Largely left wing Canadians think that any and all problems can be solved if only enough money can be thrown at them. And unlike Americans, Canadians will not bear a lot of the brunt of the higher spending such as huge tax increases and a lowering of the Canadian dollar. Neither is the approval by Canadians of Obama’s handling of foreign affairs hard to understand. The majority of Canadians feel the same way Barack Obama does; that most of the world’s problems are caused by the United States and Obama’s around the world apology tour was seen as justified. A lot of Canadians are anti-American or were prior to last January and would love to see the U.S. rendered less powerful and become just another country as the U.S. president seems to want it to become. And these left wing Canadians see nothing wrong with Obama hobnobbing with the likes of Hugo Chavez and other left wing dictators.
What is surprising however is that over three quarters of those polled think that Barack Obama’s administration is good for Canada. Historically Canada has always benefited when the United States government was controlled by Republicans. In a move to appease his union buddies, Candidate Obama said that he would consider renegotiating the free trade agreement between Canada and the U.S., an agreement that has been beneficial to Canada. And the “Buy American” clause that was inserted into the stimulus bill caused a mini panic north of the border. While the U.S. federal government may be bound by agreements not to shut out Canadian manufacturers, the states and municipalities are under no such limitations. Any significant trade reduction between the two countries would be devastating to the Canadian economy. And Canada has been somewhat harmed by the requirement that those crossing the Canada-United States border have a passport. While this requirement was brought in under the Bush administration, its implementation kept being delayed because the United States recognized that it would impede trade and tourism to both countries. The current U.S. government refused to grant further extensions and the passport requirement became law on June 1.
And then there is Afghanistan. Canada has been part of what used to be called the war on terror since it began in late 2001. Unlike many other NATO countries Canada cannot be accused of not doing its part. But all political parties in Canada voted to end the combat mission in 2011. Obama needs more troops to carry out the current surge in Afghanistan which of course is never referred to as a surge. President Obama will likely try and get Canada to extend combat operations past the time that they are scheduled to end. No doubt that there will be consequences imposed by the United States if Canada refuses to continue a combat role in what is now referred to as Obama’s War.
Despite problems ahead for Canada as a result of Obama and the Democrats being in power, Barack Obama remains an icon to many Canadians. It is really hard to understand; but then so is the huge outpouring of grief for Michael Jackson.
