As European Parliament votes yes on CETA, Angus Reid poll reveals Canadians still support the deal
by Canadian Manufacturing.com Staff
A Feb. 2017 Angus Reid poll finds that Canadians are five times more likely to support CETA, Canada's proposed free-trade agreement with the European Union, than oppose it
VANCOUVER—With the European Parliament voting to provisionally adopt the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) on Feb. 15, the latest public opinion survey from the Angus Reid Institute finds a slight majority of Canadians support the deal.
Canadians are five times more likely to say they support CETA than to say they oppose it.
That said, these numbers represent a notable softening in support in recent years, and a growing level of uncertainty about the trade agreement between Canada and the European Union’s 28 member states, with just over one-in-three people saying they “don’t know” how they feel.
Europe remains a preferred trade target for Canadians, coming second only to Canada’s largest trading partner, the United States.
Key Findings:
- 55 per cent of Canadians say they support CETA, while 10 per cent oppose the trade deal. The rest, 35 per cent, are unsure.
- In July 2014, 68 per cent supported the deal, 11 per cent opposed it, and 22 per cent were unsure.
- Asked which countries they would like to see Canada pursue an expanded trading relationship with, 49 per cent say the country should “continue to focus on the U.S.” No other country or region garners the interest of more than one-in-three Canadians.
Read Angus Reid’s full findings here.
