Canadians prefer Obama over own leaders: poll

by Rob Peters | June 30, 2008 at 04:12 pm | 276 views | 10 comments

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Canadians would vote Obama over our own national leaders, according to a new poll. Is this a vote of confidence for Obama, or a vote of frustration with the current political climate in Canada? Probably both I reckon.

A new poll suggests Canadians would prefer to vote for Barack Obama rather cast a ballot for their own political leaders, while 45 per cent of Americans envy Canada's health care system.

The bi-national survey, conducted by the Strategic Counsel for CTV and The Globe and Mail, showed that here in Canada, Obama was more admired than Prime Minister Stephen Harper -- or any other national leader.

"Some would read (the results) as an indictment of our political leaders," the Strategic Counsel's Peter Donolo told CTV.ca. "Others would say it's an acknowledgement of the phenomenal nature of Obama's appeal. He really is a prototype of his own; he's broken the mold."

Stephane Dion trailed far behind the other leaders, just ahead of Republican presidential nominee John McCain:

Barack Obama: 26 per cent

Stephen Harper: 21 per cent

Hillary Clinton: 16 per cent

Jack Layton: 9 per cent

Gilles Duceppe: 6 per cent

Stephane Dion: 5 per cent

John McCain: 3 per cent

Obama appealed to people across Canada's political spectrum, with 24 per cent of conservative-minded voters choosing him and 28 per cent of liberal thinkers.

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julianw

at 16:29 on June 30th, 2008

This is both hilarious and so believable.

Nicole Billard

at 16:34 on June 30th, 2008

True, very true. I have to say, it's nice to see a candidate that has some fire and a set of standards/opinions that don't waver based on what another country is doing.

caffiend

at 16:37 on June 30th, 2008

Without going off on a big rant about it, I think this is a pretty solid indicator of the level of frustration and indifference we Canadians have with our political climate.

Nicole Billard

at 16:53 on June 30th, 2008

I think it may mirror the frustration and indifference shown by our candidates... non? (not to spark anything...)

caffiend

at 17:09 on June 30th, 2008

Frustration and indifference shown by our candidates, our own frustration with the outdated electoral system we use (not that I'm lending any support to the US system either), or even how poor our media coverage is for our own politicians who aren't affiliated with one of the "major" parties.

Not that we as Canadians shouldn't have and voice opinions about the American government... whatever good or bad decisions they make stand to impact us pretty directly.

JeffHuang

at 17:25 on June 30th, 2008

I would vote for Barack.

kferaday

at 17:35 on June 30th, 2008

I think this is a reflection of how low politics has sunk. Until recently there have been no substantive debates on issues -- and we have some really serious problems to solve. In large part this is a result of the perpetual campaign mode of the Harper government and their use of Republican style tactics (personal attacks, lack of media access, etc.). The Liberal's and NDP have increasingly been stooping to this level, so it's not wonder we have such a poor view of our politicians.

The irony is that I think we have politicians with more substance than Obama (Elizabeth May, Michael Ignatieff, maybe Gerrard Kennedy and to a degree Dion). My own personal favourite is Sean Conway who should be Premiere of Ontario. The problem is other than possibly Ignatieff they don't have a rhetorical style that generates alot of excitement (and for Dion it's just the opposite). There may be people out there who could fit the bill but you will likely be hard pressed to get them into politics given the opinion most people have of politicians. And until we move away from attack style politics that won't likely change.

Mike Wood

at 20:26 on June 30th, 2008

good stuff:

Rob Peters, I like this story. It's good stuff.

Our political system in Canada needs a complete overhaul indeed. Especially with the latest government.

The American political system is terribly flawed. Why should a political party spend hundreds of millions on election campaigns while parts of their country are still feeling the effects of Katrina, etc,? Not to mention the current economic state.