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The survey reveals an appetite for transparency more than a distaste for unions in particular, as more than three quarters (78 per cent) of those surveyed said they would like to see the bill expanded to include employer groups like the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) and the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP).

“It is not surprising that a bill which calls for transparency would gather majority support, but the bill’s proponents should not in turn be surprised if voters see the bill being good for gander as well as goose. They may come to regret the innovative legislation they just passed,” said Forum Research President Lorne Bozinoff in a statement.

Canadians support the bill, but experts have said it could be challenged in court. The federal privacy commissioner has also questioned its legality and the Ontario Federation of Labour has declared it a “blatant attack” on unions.

Even Conservative Cabinet ministers, including Transportation Minister Lisa Raitt and the late Jim Flaherty, have questioned the government’s decision to support the bill.

Conservative Senators’ decision to break with tradition and overrule the Speaker in order to pass the bill before breaking for the summer got tongues wagging in Ottawa but didn’t evidently affect support for the transparency the bill will enforce.

The bill’s proponents say unions have for too long spent thousands, even millions in union dues on political causes without their members knowing the exact numbers. Third-party advertisers, predominantly unions, spent almost $9 million in the 2014 election in Ontario, and labour groups are gearing up to combat the federal Conservatives in the pending vote this fall.