Ottawa –
The Earth is flat. We have been secretly contacted by intelligent beings from other planets. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin did not land on the moon in 1969. They may sound like bizarre statements, but a new poll suggests a sizable number of Canadians believe in these and other conspiracy theories.
About five per cent of us are flat-earthers, the poll suggests, while 11 per cent say they think the lunar landings were a hoax. And one-third of respondents say they think evidence that aliens have been in contact with our planet is being hidden from the public.
Polling firm Leger surveyed 1,529 Canadian adults and 1,011 Americans between Nov. 24 and 26, asking about their beliefs in several popular conspiracy theories. The poll cannot be assigned a margin of error because online surveys are not considered truly random samples.
In all, 79 per cent of Canadians and 84 per cent of Americans surveyed reported believing in at least one of a list of conspiracy theories mentioned in the poll. In both countries, conservative-leaning voters were more likely to believe in conspiracies.
Just over a quarter of American respondents say they believe global warming doesn’t exist, compared to 16 per cent of Canadians.
The most popular, among Canadians and Americans alike, was the notion that the mainstream media is manipulating the information it disseminates. Fifty-five per cent of Canadian respondents and 67 per cent of American ones say they believe that to be the case, while another 10 per cent of Canadian survey participants said they don’t know.
In second place is the long-standing theory that John F. Kennedy’s assassination was a coverup. Kennedy was shot while riding in a convertible in his motorcade on Nov. 22, 1963, in Dallas. Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested the same day, though he claimed he was not responsible. Oswald was shot and killed two days later in the Dallas police station.
More than a third of Canadian respondents and just shy of half of Americans reported they do not believe the official account of the former president’s death.
While the poll did not present alternative theories, many of the popular conspiracies about Kennedy’s assassination involve his then-vice-president, Lyndon B. Johnson, the CIA, the mafia, and other countries including Cuba and Russia.
About one-third of respondents from both countries say they think the car crash that killed Princess Diana in Paris in August 1997 was an assassination, rather than an accident.
The same number of Canadians — 34 per cent — said they believe scientists and governments are withholding a known cure for cancer.
Thirty-two per cent of Canadians and 51 per cent of Americans surveyed believe COVID-19 was created as a biological weapon in a lab.
U.S. intelligence officials released a report in June that rejected some points raised by those who argue COVID-19 leaked from a Chinese lab, stating that American spy agencies are divided over how the pandemic began.
That report said four intelligence agencies still believe the virus was transferred from animals to humans, while two agencies — the Energy Department and the FBI — believe the virus leaked from a lab. The CIA has not made an assessment.
The June report was met with anger from Republicans, some of whom argued at the time that a lab leak was the only option that made sense. The poll suggests 70 per cent of Republican voters believe in the lab leak theory.
Republicans were also more likely to report they believe the government is hiding the truth about the harmfulness of vaccines, a conspiracy that had support from 63 per cent of GOP voters and 49 per cent of Americans overall.
Those trends were reflected in the Canadian data, too: a third of those polled believe governments are lying about vaccines, but that number jumps to 45 per cent of Conservative-leaning voters.
The survey results also suggest that among the four major political parties in Canada, Tory voters lead the way in believing in every one of the conspiracies presented in the poll except for one: half of Bloc Quebecois voters are unconvinced by the official account of JFK’s assassination.
There was also less of a discrepancy among voting intentions when it came to survey respondents who said they believe that evidence of alien contact is being hidden from the public. The survey also suggests the belief that mainstream media manipulates information is strong across the political spectrum, with those intending to vote Conservative at 69 per cent, Liberal at 37 per cent, the NDP at 47 per cent and the Bloc at 44 per cent.
A quarter of Conservative supporters surveyed say they think the 2020 U.S. election was rigged and stolen from Donald Trump. That’s eight points above the Canadian average of 17 per cent, but well shy of the 57 per cent of Republicans who think the same.
A regional breakdown suggests Albertans are most likely to believe there’s a secret global elite working to establish a world government, at 44 per cent, and that feminism is a strategy to enable women to control society, at 19 per cent.
The feminism control theory was almost twice as popular among Canadian men than women.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 3, 2023.
— With files from The Associated Press
PORT ALBERNI, B.C. – RCMP say the body of a second person has been found inside their vehicle after a road washed away amid pouring rain on the west coast of Vancouver Island.
Police say two vehicles went into the Sarita River when Bamfield Road washed out on Saturday as an atmospheric river hammered southern B.C.
The body of the other driver was found Sunday.
More coming.
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
The B.C. Greens say Sonia Furstenau will be staying on as party leader, despite losing her seat in the legislature in Saturday’s provincial election.
The party says in a statement that its two newly elected MLAs, Jeremy Valeriote and Rob Botterell, support Furstenau’s leadership as they “navigate the prospect of having the balance of power in the legislature.”
Neither the NDP led by Premier David Eby nor the B.C. Conservatives led by John Rustad secured a majority in the election, with two recounts set to take place from Oct. 26 to 28.
Eby says in a news conference that while the election outcome is uncertain, it’s “very likely” that the NDP would need the support of others to pass legislation.
He says he reached out to Furstenau on election night to congratulate her on the Greens’ showing.
But he says the Green party has told the NDP they are “not ready yet” for a conversation about a minority government deal.
The Conservatives went from taking less than two per cent of the vote in 2020 to being elected or leading in 45 ridings, two short of a majority and only one behind the NDP.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2024.
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
Toronto FC captain Jonathan Osorio is making a difference, 4,175 kilometres away from home.
The 32-year-old Canadian international midfielder, whose parents hail from Colombia, has been working with the Canadian Colombian Children’s Organization, a charity whose goal is to help disadvantaged youth in the South American country.
Osorio has worked behind the scenes, with no fanfare.
Until now, with his benevolence resulting in becoming Toronto FC’s nominee for the Audi Goals Drive Progress Impact Award, which honours an MLS player “who showed outstanding dedication to charitable efforts and serving the community” during the 2024 season.”
Other nominees include Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Sebastian Berhalter and CF Montreal goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois.
The winner will be announced in late November.
The Canadian Colombian Children’s Organization (CCCO) is run entirely by volunteers like Monica Figueredo and Claudia Soler. Founded in 1991, it received charitable status in 2005.
The charity currently has four projects on the go: two in Medellin and one each in Armenia and Barranquilla.
They include a school, a home for young girls whose parents are addicted to drugs, after-school and weekend programs for children in a disadvantaged neighbourhood, and nutrition and education help for underprivileged youth.
The organization heard about Osorio and was put in contact with him via an intermediary, which led to a lunch meeting. Osorio did his due diligence and soon got back to the charity with his decision.
“It was something that I wanted to be a part of right away,” said Osorio, whose lone regret is that he didn’t get involved sooner.
“I’m fortunate now that to help more now that I could have back then,” he added. “The timing actually worked out for everybody. For the last three years I have donated to their cause and we’ve built a couple of (football) fields in different cities over there in the schools.”
His father visited one of the sites in Armenia close to his hometown.
“He said it was amazing, the kids, how grateful they are to be able to play on any pitch, really,” said Osorio. “But to be playing on a new pitch, they’re just so grateful and so humble.
“It really makes it worth it being part of this organization.”
The collaboration has also made Osorio take stock.
“We’re very fortunate here in Canada, I think, for the most part. Kids get to go to school and have a roof over their head and things like that. In Colombia, it’s not really the same case. My father and his family grew up in tough conditions, so giving back is like giving back to my father.”
Osorio’s help has been a godsend to the charity.
“We were so surprised with how willing he was,” said Soler.
The TFC skipper has helped pay for a football field in Armenia as well as an ambitious sports complex under construction in Barranquilla.
“It’s been great for them,” Figueredo said of the pitch in Armenia. “Because when they go to school, now they have a proper place to train.”
Osorio has also sent videos encouraging the kids to stay active — as well as shipping soccer balls and signed jerseys their way.
“They know more about Jonathan than the other players in Colombia,” Figueredo said. “That’s the funny part. Even though he’s far away, they’ve connected with him.”
“They feel that they have a future, that they can do more,” she added. “Seeing that was really, really great.”
The kids also followed Osorio through the 2022 World Cup and this summer’s Copa America.
Back home, Osorio has also attended the charity’s annual golf tournament, helping raise funds.
A Toronto native, he has long donated four tickets for every TFC home game to the Hospital for Sick Children.
Vancouver’s Berhalter was nominated for his involvement in the Whitecaps’ partnership with B.C. Children’s Hospital while Montreal’s Sirois was chosen for his work with the Montreal Impact Foundation.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.
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