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Canadians appeared to be fairly relaxed about any vices their politicians may have indulged in - but only up to a point, suggests a new public opinion poll.
The Leger Marketing survey conducted Sept. 13-16 found that only 26 per cent of Canadians would have refuse to vote for a politician who had smoked marijuana.
But a large majority, 75 per cent, would have withheld their vote from a politician who had taken hard drugs like cocaine or heroin.
The poll was taken in the wake of a Quebec politician's admission he had used cocaine during his early years in office.
Parti Quebecois leadership hopeful Andre Boisclair's popularity actually seemed to rise among PQ faithful after he confessed.
Voters took the strongest stand against hard drugs in Alberta, where 85 per cent said it would be a deal breaker, followed by Ontario at 82 per cent.
It was lowest in Quebec at 53 per cent, although that still represents a majority of voters and could be bad news for Boisclair.
Voters aged over 55 were the least tolerant of hard drug use with 89 per cent saying it was unacceptable for politicians. Younger voters aged less than 35 were more forgiving although 66 per cent still said it was wrong.
More Canadian voters said they were more likely to reject a politician with an alcohol problem than one who had smoked a joint.
Thirty-nine per cent said they would not vote for a former alcoholic.
Quebecers were again more forgiving with 24 per cent saying it would not matter at the ballot box.
A full three quarters of Canadians said they would not vote for a politician convicted of drinking and driving - the same number who disapproved of any use of hard drugs.
The poll of 1,547 respondents was considered accurate to within 2.4 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. The margin could be higher for regional breakdowns because of smaller sampling sizes.
Source: Chronicle Herald (CN NS)
Copyright: 2005 The Halifax Herald Limited
Contact: letters@herald.ca
Website: SaltWire | Halifax
The Leger Marketing survey conducted Sept. 13-16 found that only 26 per cent of Canadians would have refuse to vote for a politician who had smoked marijuana.
But a large majority, 75 per cent, would have withheld their vote from a politician who had taken hard drugs like cocaine or heroin.
The poll was taken in the wake of a Quebec politician's admission he had used cocaine during his early years in office.
Parti Quebecois leadership hopeful Andre Boisclair's popularity actually seemed to rise among PQ faithful after he confessed.
Voters took the strongest stand against hard drugs in Alberta, where 85 per cent said it would be a deal breaker, followed by Ontario at 82 per cent.
It was lowest in Quebec at 53 per cent, although that still represents a majority of voters and could be bad news for Boisclair.
Voters aged over 55 were the least tolerant of hard drug use with 89 per cent saying it was unacceptable for politicians. Younger voters aged less than 35 were more forgiving although 66 per cent still said it was wrong.
More Canadian voters said they were more likely to reject a politician with an alcohol problem than one who had smoked a joint.
Thirty-nine per cent said they would not vote for a former alcoholic.
Quebecers were again more forgiving with 24 per cent saying it would not matter at the ballot box.
A full three quarters of Canadians said they would not vote for a politician convicted of drinking and driving - the same number who disapproved of any use of hard drugs.
The poll of 1,547 respondents was considered accurate to within 2.4 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. The margin could be higher for regional breakdowns because of smaller sampling sizes.
Source: Chronicle Herald (CN NS)
Copyright: 2005 The Halifax Herald Limited
Contact: letters@herald.ca
Website: SaltWire | Halifax
