Nearly two-thirds of Canadians back the idea of electing judges, according to a new poll.
Sixty-three per cent of 1,000 Canadians questioned by pollster Strategic Counsel for Â鶹´«Ã½ and The Globe and Mail supported the notion of elected judges.
In contrast, 30 per cent opposed the idea.
Of the survey respondents, 11 per cent strongly opposed an elected judiciary, but 24 per cent strongly backed the idea.
The province of Quebec saw the strongest support for the notion with 67 per cent backing an elected judiciary.
The poll also found that 53 per cent said the Charter has had a positive, or very positive, impact on Canada over the past 25 years.
Meanwhile 12 per cent said it had a negative impact and 25 per cent said the impact has been neutral.
The federal Conservatives have stopped short of calling for an elected judiciary.
"That's just not our tradition," former federal justice minister Vic Toews said last year.
"I actually think our system is pretty good. It just needs to be fixed."
Concern over religious freedom
The poll found the majority of respondents in Quebec were concerned about potential court rulings on religious freedom, which is protected under the Charter.
Of those polled in the province, 56 per cent expressed apprehension these cases could result in the pursuit of religious practices against Canadian values. In contrast, 29 per cent said the same in the rest of the country.
The question they were asked stated: "The Charter does guarantee freedom of religion. Looking ahead, some are concerned that this might lead to abuses where some groups use this guarantee to pursue religious practices that are against Canadian values. Others disagree and say that the guarantee of religious freedom is a fundamental right that must be protected in all instances. Which best represents your view?"
The debate over reasonable accommodation has heated up in Quebec in recent weeks.
Sondos Abdelatif, 19, was given the ultimatum to withdraw from a corrections training session at a Montreal jail or remove her headscarf last month.
In February, an 11-year-old Ottawa girl was ejected from a soccer game in Quebec after she refused to remove her headscarf during the game. The incident garnered international attention after soccer's governing body, FIFA, upheld the ban on headscarves.
Furthermore, the small town of Herouxville drew international attention when it adopted a declaration of "norms" that outlines how immigrants must fit in.
The poll also found 73 per cent of survey respondents back the idea of having the right to own and protect property enshrined in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Meanwhile, 15 per cent rejected the notion of putting property rights in the Charter.
The most support was seen in Western Canada, where 31 per cent backed the idea.
The weakest support was in Quebec, where 14 per cent endorsed the proposition.
The poll has a margin of error of 3.1 per cent, slightly higher for provincial and regional figures.
