For Immediate Release
Canadian Public Opinion Poll
Page 1 of 7
BILL C-30
Canadians Reject Components of
Bill C-30, Deem it Too Intrusive
Half of respondents believe the House of Commons should not pass the
proposed legislation.
[OTTAWA – Feb. 24, 2012] – Canadians have not
reacted well to the proposed Bill C-30, and many
are voicing disagreement with several
components of the legislation, a new Angus Reid
Public Opinion poll has found.
In the online survey of a representative sample of
1,011 Canadian adults, 45 per cent of
respondents have followed stories related to Bill
C-30 “very closely” or “moderately closely.”
Respondents aged 17-to-34 (47%) and those
over the age of 55 (also 47%) are more likely to
have been paying attention to the debate on this
proposed legislation.
Respondents to this survey were provided with
seven elements of Bill C-30 and asked whether
they agreed or disagreed with each one. Only
three components get the thumbs-up from a
majority of Canadians: allowing police to get
warrants to obtain information transmitted over
the Internet and data related to its transmission,
including locations of individuals and transactions
(68%), changing the definition of hate
propaganda to include communication targeting
sex, age and gender (63%) and allowing courts to
compel other parties to preserve electronic
evidence (57%).
KEY FINDINGS
 45% have followed stories related to Bill
C-30 “very closely” or “moderately
closely.”
 53% believe Bill C-30 is too intrusive, and
that the government should not be able to
track the movements of Canadians or
reading their e-mails without a warrant
 51% want to see Bill C-30 defeated in the
House of Commons
Full topline results are at the end of this release.
From February 23 to February 24, 2012, Angus Reid Public
Opinion conducted an online survey among 1,011 randomly
selected Canadian adults who are Angus Reid Forum panellists.
The margin of error—which measures sampling variability—is
+/- 3.1%, 19 times out of 20. The results have been statistically
weighted according to the most current education, age, gender
and region Census data to ensure a sample representative of
the entire adult population of Canada. Discrepancies in or
between totals are due to rounding.
Canadians are almost evenly divided on providing for an internal audit of warrantless requests that will go
to a government minister and oversight review body (Agree 40%, Disagree 43%).
CONTACT:
Mario Canseco, Vice President, Angus Reid Public Opinion, 877-730-3570, [email protected]
For Immediate Release
Canadian Public Opinion Poll
Page 2 of 7
Respondents were not satisfied with the remaining elements, with 57 per cent disagreeing with forcing
Internet providers and other makers of technology to provide a “back door” to make communications
accessible to police, and 62 per cent rejecting a requirement for telecommunications and Internet
providers to give subscriber data to police, national security agencies and the Competition Bureau without
a warrant, including names, phone numbers and IP addresses.
The most unpopular measure included in Bill C-30 is requiring telecommunications providers to disclose,
without a warrant, six types of identifiers from subscriber data (Name, Address, Telephone number, Email
address, IP address and Local service provider identifier). Almost two thirds of Canadians (64%) disagree
with this idea.
Most Canadians (53%) believe Bill C-30 is too intrusive, and that the government should not be able to
track the movements of Canadians or reading their e-mails without a warrant. Only one third (27%)
believe Bill C-30 is necessary because many criminal activities, including child pornography, have
evolved with technology and police need broader tools to deal with these crimes.
The regions that show the highest level of rejection for Bill C-30 are Alberta (66%), Atlantic Canada (63%)
and Ontario (58%).
When asked how the House of Commons should deal with Bill C-30, half of Canadians (51%) want their
federal lawmakers to defeat the legislation, while 35 per cent would prefer to pass it. Once again, Alberta,
Atlantic Canada and Ontario are the areas where Bill C-30 is regarded in a negative light.
Analysis
While Canadians are content with the measures related to obtaining warrants, changing the definition of
hate propaganda and preserving electronic evidence that are included in Bill C-30, the public provides a
negative review of the more contentious aspects of the proposed legislation. The idea of surrendering
subscriber data and identifiers without a warrant is rejected by almost two thirds of Canadians.
Strong majorities of people who voted for the New Democratic Party (NDP) and the Liberal Party in the
last federal election brand Bill C-30 as too intrusive (62% and 58% respectively), but it is important to note
that Conservative voters are not as supportive of this government initiative as they have been with others
in the past. Almost half of Tory voters (47%) think the proposed legislation is too intrusive. Conservatives
are evenly split on what the House of Commons should do with Bill C-30. New Democrats and Grits
clearly want to see it defeated.
Alberta, traditionally a Conservative stronghold, is not on the government’s side on this issue. Albertans
are more likely to wish for the defeat of Bill C-30 than Ontarians, British Columbians and Quebecers.
CONTACT:
Mario Canseco, Vice President, Angus Reid Public Opinion, 877-730-3570, [email protected]
For Immediate Release
Canadian Public Opinion Poll
Page 3 of 7
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About Angus Reid Public Opinion
Angus Reid Public Opinion is a public affairs practice headed by Dr. Angus Reid: an industry visionary who
has spent more than four decades asking questions to figure out what people feel, how they think and who
they will vote for. A team of talented and experienced practitioners with a unique and profound
understanding of global issues conduct high quality research throughout the world on a daily basis for
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For more information, please contact
our spokesperson listed in the footnote.
CONTACT:
Mario Canseco, Vice President, Angus Reid Public Opinion, 877-730-3570, [email protected]
For Immediate Release
Canadian Public Opinion Poll
Page 4 of 7
Bill C-30
Over the past two weeks, how closely have you followed stories related to Bill C-30, or “Act to enact the
Investigating and Preventing Criminal Electronic Communications Act and to amend the Criminal Code
and other acts”?
Canada
Region
BC
AB
MB/SK
ON
PQ
ATL
Very closely /
Moderately closely
45%
51%
44%
50%
43%
43%
47%
Not too closely /
Not closely at all
55%
49%
56%
50%
57%
57%
53%
Bill C-30
Over the past two weeks, how closely have you followed stories related to Bill C-30, or “Act to enact the
Investigating and Preventing Criminal Electronic Communications Act and to amend the Criminal Code
and other acts”?
Canada
Gender
Age
Male
Female
18-34
35-54
55+
Very closely /
Moderately closely
45%
60%
32%
47%
43%
47%
Not too closely /
Not closely at all
55%
40%
68%
53%
57%
53%
CONTACT:
Mario Canseco, Vice President, Angus Reid Public Opinion, 877-730-3570, [email protected]
For Immediate Release
Canadian Public Opinion Poll
Page 5 of 7
Bill C-30
Here are some of the components of Bill C-30. Do you agree or disagree with enacting each one of these
components of Bill C-30?
Agree
Disagree
Not sure
Allow police to get warrants to obtain information
transmitted over the Internet and data related to its
transmission, including locations of individuals and
transactions.
68%
27%
5%
Change the definition of hate propaganda to include
communication targeting sex, age and gender.
63%
24%
13%
Allow courts to compel other parties to preserve
electronic evidence.
57%
31%
13%
Provide for an internal audit of warrantless requests that
will go to a government minister and oversight review
body.
40%
43%
16%
Force Internet providers and other makers of technology
to provide a “back door” to make communications
accessible to police.
36%
57%
7%
Require telecommunications and Internet providers to
give subscriber data to police, national security agencies
and the Competition Bureau without a warrant, including
names, phone numbers and IP addresses.
31%
62%
7%
Require telecommunications providers to disclose,
without a warrant, six types of identifiers from subscriber
data (Name, Address, Telephone number, Email address,
Internet protocol [IP] address and Local service provider
identifier).
29%
64%
7%
CONTACT:
Mario Canseco, Vice President, Angus Reid Public Opinion, 877-730-3570, [email protected]
For Immediate Release
Canadian Public Opinion Poll
Page 6 of 7
Bill C-30
Some people say that Bill C-30 is necessary because many criminal activities, including child
pornography, have evolved with technology and police need broader tools to deal with these crimes.
Other people say that Bill C-30 is too intrusive, and that the government should not be able to track the
movements of Canadians or reading their e-mails without a warrant. Thinking about this, which one of the
two statements do you agree with the most?
Canada
Region
BC
AB
MB/SK
ON
PQ
ATL
Bill C-30 is
necessary
27%
31%
20%
36%
24%
33%
18%
Bill C-30 is too
intrusive
53%
49%
66%
47%
58%
42%
63%
Not sure
19%
20%
14%
17%
17%
25%
19%
Bill C-30
Some people say that Bill C-30 is necessary because many criminal activities, including child
pornography, have evolved with technology and police need broader tools to deal with these crimes.
Other people say that Bill C-30 is too intrusive, and that the government should not be able to track the
movements of Canadians or reading their e-mails without a warrant. Thinking about this, which one of the
two statements do you agree with the most?
Canada
Party supported in 2011 Federal Election
Con
NDP
Lib
BQ
Grn
Bill C-30 is necessary
27%
38%
21%
22%
9%
31%
Bill C-30 is too
intrusive
53%
47%
62%
58%
54%
42%
Not sure
19%
15%
16%
20%
37%
26%
CONTACT:
Mario Canseco, Vice President, Angus Reid Public Opinion, 877-730-3570, [email protected]
For Immediate Release
Canadian Public Opinion Poll
Page 7 of 7
Bill C-30
All things considered, do you think the House of Commons should pass or defeat Bill C-30?
Canada
Region
BC
AB
MB/SK
ON
PQ
ATL
Definitely pass /
Probably pass
35%
40%
29%
38%
34%
39%
25%
Probably defeat /
Definitely defeat
51%
48%
61%
51%
53%
40%
65%
Not sure
14%
11%
10%
11%
13%
21%
9%
Bill C-30
All things considered, do you think the House of Commons should pass or defeat Bill C-30?
Canada
Party supported in 2011 Federal Election
Con
NDP
Lib
BQ
Grn
Definitely pass /
Probably pass
35%
45%
30%
29%
16%
35%
Probably defeat /
Definitely defeat
51%
45%
58%
57%
67%
41%
Not sure
14%
10%
13%
15%
18%
24%
CONTACT:
Mario Canseco, Vice President, Angus Reid Public Opinion, 877-730-3570, [email protected]