Conservative supporters least likely to back allowing more refugees into Canada

The sampling error for the survey, taken from August 26 to September 1, was 1.7 percent. However, the startling image may not be the game changer some had predicted.

At the Surrey campaign stop, Harper denied that the Canadian government rejected the Kurdi family’s refugee application, and argued Canadians needed to do “more of everything” to address Syria’s humanitarian crisis – including more military strikes against ISIS. Immigration Minister Chris Alexander’s “disastrous” interview on CBC this week added to that perception, Kurl said, but it may not play out that way.

Overall, 70 per cent of those surveyed agreed that Canada has a role in remedying the crisis.

Conservative Leader Stephen Harper tells hundreds of supporters “Canada is an island of stability” at an election campaign rally at a windows manufacturing plant in Abbotsford.

“What we find is that people who are supporting or leaning towards the Conservatives in this election campaign are far less likely to be be amenable to accepting more refugees“, says Kurl. “One can be pretty certain (Conservative leader Stephen Harper) would not be out there saying these things if he didn’t think at minimum they would be resonating with his own base, which they appear to be”.

Of those who replied to this poll, 62 per cent of NDP and Liberal backers said they’d support Canada letting in more refugees.

It’s contrary to what has increasingly befallen Canada in the past 40 years.

None of the parties have made specific commitments to increase support for migrants on their way to or trapped in European camps regardless of country of origin.

“It is about who we are and what we want to continue to be”.

Andrew Thomson, the NDP candidate for the Toronto riding of Eglinton-Lawrence who is running against Conservative candidate Joe Oliver, said Harper has presided over a “lost decade”, marked by job losses, less retirement security and higher household debt for average Canadians.

“The message I intended to bring was about water and environmental regulation to protect our waters such as our drinking source here in North Bay, but much bigger than that, it speaks to the erection of fear versus security that the country is heading in”, said Roberts, who runs an animal sanctuary with his wife in Nipissing Township. Forty-two per cent of practicing Christians also support the government spending up to $100 million a year to help resettle these migrants.