Compas Poll / Survey

Following enactment of same sex legislation, COMPAS was commissioned by The National Post and the Institute for Canadian Values to gauge the public’s attitudes towards freedom of religion under the law.

Respondents in a national, representative survey were asked about freedom for individual clergy not to conduct gay marriages if this ran against their personal beliefs. In the case of this and three other scenarios, clear majorities of Canadian support the right to religious freedom. In the case of clergy, support outnumbers opposition by about 3:1. Support amounts to a smaller majority in the case of marriage commissioners.

Respondents were asked for their opinions about having Parliament review same sex legislation for the purpose of providing complete or partial protection for religious freedom. The question asked whether Parliament should review the same sex law to make sure that freedom of speech and freedom of religion are fully protected, review the same sex law to decide when freedom of speech and freedom of religion should or should not be protected, or not review the freedom-related aspects of the law.

Support for a Parliamentary review of freedom issues outdraws opposition by more than 2.5:1 (64% vs. 24%). About one quarter of Canadians oppose a religious freedom review while one half favour a review to ensure that freedom of speech and freedom of religion are fully protected. About one-seventh favour a review to decide when such freedoms should or should not be protected.

These are the key findings on religious freedom from a national survey (n=502) conducted for The National Post and the Institute for Canadian Values. A separate report details Canadians’ views and values with respect to another values issue, polygamy - whether it should be legalized and the role of government in protecting its offspring.