About four in five Canadian respondents to an online survey by Leger and the Association for Canadian Studies say they are in favour of a woman's right to an abortion if she so chooses, while 14 per cent say they are opposed.
The poll offers a picture of how Canadians feel about the issue as the United States faces turmoil over the possible overturning of the right to have an abortion.
Seventy per cent of all respondents say they are concerned about the leaked draft opinion to overturn Roe v. Wade, and almost half say they think the situation in the U-S on the right to an abortion may have an effect in Canada.
Christian Bourque, Leger executive vice-president, says the high level of concern is interesting given the near-consensus shared among Canadians in supporting the right to choose.
The right to an abortion doesn't exist in Canada in the same way it is enshrined in Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision in the U-S.
Abortion is decriminalized in Canada because of a 1988 Supreme Court decision, but no bill has ever been passed to enshrine access into law and it's also not considered a constitutionally protected right under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
The online survey of 1,534 Canadians between Friday and Sunday cannot be assigned a margin of error because internet-based polls are not considered random samples.