While Canadians remain firm about the decision to not go into Iraq back in 2003, a new poll shows that the majority of them now support the limited deployment announced by Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Friday.

Fifty-four per cent of Canadians support sending the troops to support the 10-nation NATO effort to combat the Islamic State, even though more than 80 per cent expect there will be casualties, according to a poll conducted by Forum Research.

“They’re thinking that (the Islamic State) is a threat to Canada and on those grounds they’re in,” said Forum Research President Lorne Bozinoff.

RELATED:

What will the Canadian Forces advisers do in Iraq?

Canada’s military mission in Iraq ‘not without risks:’ Harper

Global disgust deepens over Islamic State crisis

Indeed, while only one-third of the 1,267 people polled believe Canada has any strategic interests in Iraq, more than half of them believe the Islamic State poses a threat to Canada.

Fifty to 100 elite Canadian soldiers will join the NATO operation for an initial period of 30 days to provide strategic and tactical advice to Iraqi soldiers, Harper said. The announcement came only days after Foreign Minister John Baird visited Baghdad and pledged $15 million in non-lethal combat gear for Iraqi forces fighting the Islamic State.

Over the last several months, the Al Qaeda splinter group has conquered vast swaths of territory in Syria and Iraq, proclaiming the creation of a caliphate and forcing tens of thousands of religious minorities to flee. They have also beheaded two American journalists and posted videos of the killings online.

During his announcement of Canada’s troop commitment, Harper said the action was prompted by fears that terrorist training camps could be set up in the area, which has seen a power vacuum since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war and the pull out of American Troops from Iraq in 2011.

Sixty nine per cent of Canadians polled, however, remained firm in their support of then-prime minister Jean Chrétien’s decision not to send troops to Iraq in 2003.

“It may sound counterintuitive; a solid two thirds agree we were right to stay out of Iraq in 2003, and the vast majority expect casualties if we go in now, yet the majority approve of this troop deployment. This bears testament to the impact (the Islamic State) has had on the Canadian psyche,” said Bozinoff in a press release.

But Bozinoff warned that the support isn’t overwhelming and is likely to degrade once the reality of being involved in another war sets in.

“They’re all in favour and they say they’re in favour until there actually are casualties,” he said. “The thing with war polls is that it’s all great at the beginning but as things wear on, I’m not sure people are ready to go the distance . . . it’s all hypothetical.”

Despite the support for Harper’s announcement, two-thirds of those polled said that the military deployment should be debated in Parliament, where it has the potential to be a wedge issue for the Tories.

While Conservative Party supporters strongly condone the military action, and NDP voters are strongly against it, Liberals are evenly split on the issue.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

“This is a problem for the Liberals,” said Bozinoff. “There’s no good position the Liberal Party can take that all its members are going to be comfortable with. This is exactly what the Tories are looking for.”

The telephone survey was conducted on Friday and has a margin of error of three percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

Read more about: