Focus our study

I like the idea of a economically orientated question, even if Afghanistan is not included in the budget, I think its more important to think about the impact of the conflict there and people's attitudes towards the budget reflects the role they want Canada to play in future peacekeeping. Maybe one that asks specific dollar values instead of agree/disagree questions:

Canada currently allocates around 1.5% of its GDP towards military expenditure, what proportion should the federal government aim for in the future.

1. <1% 2. 1-1.5% 3. Maintain the current budget level 4. 1.5-2% 5. 2%<

Or if those answers are too specific we could stick with Jacqueline's question.

Even though the F35's wont be actually purchased until after Afghanistan I think a question on them might still capture the general attitude towards defense.

Maybe word it like:

The Conservatives have been criticized for excessive spending, notably the proposed $9 billion on F-35 fighter jets. Is such spending justified to protect Canadian troops abroad even in the wake of financial crisis?

Also I think Jacqueline is right we should have some general aim, maybe a research question to answer. A future looking questions could be something like: what role should Canada play in future conflicts considering the controversy over the war in Afghanistan. Just a thought to have a direction to head in, any thoughts?