As U.S. President Donald Trump continues to threaten war with North Korea, Canadians are markedly more nervous about the possibility of a nuclear conflict in 2017 than they were before Trump took office. This, after recent claims from North Korean leaders that it now possesses the ability to reach North American with a nuclear strike through the use of intercontinental ballistic missiles.
These concerns don’t have many clamouring for Canada to join American missile defence systems, however. A new public opinion poll from the Angus Reid Institute finds fewer than three-in-ten Canadians (29%) saying their country should join the U.S. anti-ballistic missile shield, either by paying for protection or hosting American weapons on Canadian soil.
And while most Canadians aren’t keen on cooperating with the U.S. on missile defence, most reject the notion that the war of words between that country and North Korea is “not Canada’s problem.” Six-in-ten (60%) disagree with a statement to this effect.
More Key Findings:
- While 29 per cent of Canadians say Canada should join the U.S. ballistic missile defence system, fewer than half (44%) say Canada should “stay out” of the system. More than one-in-four (27%) “really can’t say” what they think Canada should do
- Asked whether “joining the U.S. ballistic missile defence system would ultimately make Canada safer,” Canadians are divided: 40 per cent agree with this statement, while 42% disagree. The rest (19%) are unsure.
- Women are more likely than men to say the threat of nuclear war is a “very” or “fairly” serious one. Nearly two-thirds of women (64%) choose one of these options, while fewer than half of men do (45%)
Link to the poll here: www.angusreid.org/missile-defence-north-korea
