In March 2009 the Alberta Council for Global Cooperation (ACGC), in partnership with the Wild Rose Foundation, had Angus Reid conduct a poll of Canadians.  Despite the global economic crisis, it appears that there is substantial support for various actors including federal and provincial governments, NGOs and others, tackling the issue of global poverty.  In the poll they found that 89% of Canadians say they believe “Canada should be addressing global poverty in some way, with three-in-ten (29%) actually placing global poverty as a higher priority than local issues.”

The Alberta Council for Global Cooperation is a “coalition of voluntary sector organizations located in Alberta, working locally and globally to achieve sustainable human development.”

There were a number of interesting questions including:

Which of the following, if any, do you feel are benefits of providing poverty reduction support to developing countries?

Contribute to global political stability 64%
Preventing breeding grounds for terrorism 55%
Demonstrating good values 53%
Improving the moral standard of a society 52%
Ultimately stronger overseas economies will create a stronger economy at home 50%
Feeling good about having helped those in need 45%
Improved international reputation 43%
Supporting developing countries will result in a more positive trade balance at home 43%
Improve the environmental impact 39%
Gaining political allies 27%
Not feeling guilty about living in a more privileged nation 16%
Other 3%
Nothing 1%
Don’t know 0%

Here is a copy of the powerpoint presentation entitled “ACGC Global Poverty Report”
http://acgc.ca/_docs/GlobalPovertyPresentation.ppt