Canadians believe NATO should be prepared to fight in Ukraine amid Russian invasion: poll
Global News
A new poll suggests nearly three-quarters of Canadians believe NATO allies should prepare for military intervention as Russian aggression escalates in Ukraine.
A new poll suggests nearly three-quarters of Canadians believe NATO allies should prepare for military intervention as Russian aggression escalates in Ukraine, even as half hold out hope for a diplomatic resolution.
The online survey of 1,515 Canadians and 1,002 Americans was conducted by Leger between Friday and Sunday.
The survey cannot be assigned a margin of error because internet-based polls are not considered truly random samples.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization has signalled its solidarity with Ukraine in the form of supplies, weapons and sanctions since the early days of Russia’s latest incursion into its territory, but has not deployed troops for combat.
“This is the first time where people say, ‘Give diplomacy and sanctions a chance but brace for potentially this becoming military involvement,”’ said Leger executive vice-president Christian Bourque.
Approximately 49 per cent of Canadians still believe a diplomatic end to the war is possible, but 64 per cent said the conflict between Ukraine and Russia will be protracted, and will last many years.
Sixty-five per cent of Canadians said governments should impose more severe sanctions against Russia, even if it means higher gas prices for western countries, even though 62 per cent agreed the sanctions mainly hurt the Russian people and not Russian President Vladimir Putin directly. Only 35 per cent believe economic sanctions will actually convince Putin to back down.
Canadians seem to understand the stakes are high, and they increasingly believe the conflict could escalate into a world war, the poll shows. About three-quarters report they believe the situation has the potential to lead to a third world war in this latest poll, compared to 66 per cent of Canadians polled at the end of February when the conflict first began.