Slim majority wants Canada's Afghan troops brought home: poll

[tuvor]

OTTAWA -- Public support for Canada's military mission in Afghanistan has plummeted into minority territory for the first time in months, with a slim majority of Canadians now believing the troops should be brought home as soon as possible, a new poll has revealed.

The Ipsos Reid survey for CanWest News Service and Global National conducted by phone from July 25 to July 27 found that support for the "use of Canada's troops for security and combat efforts against the Taliban and al-Qaida in Afghanistan" has dropped 10 points to 47 per cent from 57 since the last survey in May.

The escalation in casualties and the negative portrayal by the media of the mission as a war are among the factors causing the shift in public opinion, explained John Wright, senior vice-president at Ipsos Reid.

"A lot of this is really about the story of Afghanistan," Wright said. "What we receive and what we see are dangerous missions with combat and we do not see the other side of the story. I think many Canadians will question our continued participation if we're simply there as a military force as opposed to some kind of humanitarian role building a country."

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