On September 17, Ceasefire.ca conducted an online survey of the Ceasefire.ca community on the importance of 10 global policy issues in the federal election. The issues had been highlighted in an article by Peggy Mason which was published in the influential Embassy Newspaper, entitled “Munk Debate: Party leaders need to articulate a role for Canada in the world” (Peggy Mason, 16 September, 2015).

Respondents were asked:
How important is it to you that party leaders address these issues?

Over 1300 responses were received. The top five most important global issues for Canada that respondents identified, in their order of importance, are:
1)      Improving the lives of women;
2)      Ratifying UN treaties on the arms trade and cluster bombs;
3)      Addressing the impacts on jobs and environment of international trade agreements;
4)      Abolishing nuclear weapons; and
5)      Restricting Canadian arms exports.

Here are the detailed results (so far):

Furthermore, respondents were asked what other global issues were important to them. The top five responses are:

• Canada’s action with global leaders on protecting the environment, combatting climate change, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions;
• Returning Canada to the role of a peacekeeper and engaging in diplomacy, negotiation, mediation, and humanitarian aid in response to global conflicts;
• Canada’s refugee policy;
• Canada’s contribution to eradicating global poverty and providing foreign humanitarian aid and development; and
• Canada being a world leader in human rights issues (e.g. Indigenous rights, global education, eradicating torture, human trafficking).