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Ongoing probes into the questionable expense claims of a handful of Canadian senators have taken a serious toll on public perceptions of the red chamber, according to a new study.

Polling more than 1,700 Canadians of voting age, Forum Research found that only one in 10 respondents was with the Senate in its current form, and a majority are calling for either abolition or major reform.

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The poll, commissioned by the National Post, asked respondents to rate the Senate’s performance on a four-point scale ranging from “excellent” to “poor.” More than half of Canadians chose the latter — an outcome that surpassed even the pollster’s expectations.

“We know [scandals are] going to have a negative impact on people’s perceptions, but we need to quantify that and see exactly how negative,” said Forum Research president Lorne Bozinoff. “Quite frankly, it’s more negative than I thought it would be.