61 per cent of Canadians disapprove of U.S. military actions in Iran: poll

New Ipsos polling conducted for Global News reveals 61 per cent of Canadians disapprove of the U.S. military action against Iran.

Only one in four (23 per cent) Canadians approve (eight per cent strongly approve, 15 per cent somewhat approve), while 16 per cent are unsure either way.

Forty-two per cent were found to strongly disapprove, while 19 per cent somewhat disapprove.

The polling also reflects worries about potential Canadian involvement, with 66 per cent “expressing fear that Canada will be pulled into this war and the lives of our soldiers will be at risk.”

Thirty-two per cent think the war in Iran will be over in a couple of months, with 41 per cent disagreeing and 28 per cent not sure either way.

Fifty-four per cent of Canadians support “using diplomacy with the U.S., Israel, Iran, and other countries to try to de-escalate the situation,” alongside 51 per cent who are opposed to “providing military support to assist the U.S. in its fight against Iran.”

Forty-one per cent of Canadians believe that Carney is doing a “good job” in his handling of the war, while 22 per cent state that he has done a “bad job.” Twenty-five per cent remain neutral.

Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters during his trip to Australia that “one can never categorically rule out participation,” with respect to the escalating conflict in the Middle East.

Conservatives called for “a parliamentary debate before any sort of Canadian military deployment” the day after Carney’s comments.

“It should be up to Parliament itself to say yea or nay on whether or not we’re ever going to be deploying our troops into a conflict,” Conservative defence critic James Bezan told reporters on March 5 in Ottawa.

Under Canadian law, “a decision to deploy the [Canadian Forces] internationally is an exercise of the federal Crown prerogative. No statute acts to limit the executive’s authority in this area.”

That means deployments of the Canadian military are ultimately decisions made by the prime minister and cabinet of the day.

As well, 64 per cent of Canadians say U.S. President Donald Trump has done a “bad job,” while only 14 per cent would endorse his performance.

In addition, six in 10 (59 per cent) Canadians say Trump is “too willing to use military force to advance U.S. interests.”

Forty-seven per cent of Canadians were found to be “very concerned” about the Canadian economy and the impact of the war with Iran.

The poll also found that Canadians are “very concerned” about the price of gas (53 per cent) and the price of crude oil (42 per cent).

Only four per cent of surveyed Canadians were found to be “not concerned at all” about the Canadian economy, with seven per cent also “not concerned at all” about the price of gas and crude oil.