(Angus Reid Global Scan) – Many adults in Canada believe the Conservative party should not try to topple the government in the coming months, according to a poll by Decima Research. 76 per cent of respondents believe the country must wait until the release of the Gomery report to have a federal election.
(Angus Reid Global Scan) – Many adults in Canada believe the Conservative party should not try to topple the government in the coming months, according to a poll by Decima Research. 76 per cent of respondents believe the country must wait until the release of the Gomery report to have a federal election.
Liberal leader Paul Martin took over as Canada’s prime minister in December 2003. In the June 2004 election, the Liberals secured a minority government with 135 seats in the House of Commons. Last year, Martin called a public inquiry into the federal sponsorship program—initiated during the tenure of prime minister Jean Chrétien to promote Canada in Quebec—after auditor-general Sheila Fraser concluded that approximately $75 million U.S. of the program’s budget was paid to Liberal-friendly advertising firms for little or no work.
Justice John Gomery was put in charge of the investigation, which is expected to conclude in December 2005. Martin has vowed to hold a federal election “within 30 days of the publication of the commission’s final report and recommendations.”
A sitting administration can only be toppled when it loses a vote that deals with confidence or finances. On May 19, the House of Commons accepted a $3.6 billion U.S. amendment to the federal budget—reached after a deal between Martin and New Democratic Party (NDP) leader Jack Layton—that cancels corporate tax relief and increases social spending. The motion passed after speaker Peter Milliken broke a 152-152 tie by supporting the government.
On Jun. 8, Conservative leader Stephen Harper appeared to play down the possibility of a new push to force an election, saying, “The only way the government’s going to be defeated is if people who were elected as Liberals no longer believe they can trust the prime minister.”
Polling Data
Would you prefer that the Conservative party renew its efforts to force an election, or wait until the release of the Gomery report and have the election that prime minister Paul Martin committed to calling at that time?
Force an election | 12% |
Wait for report | 76% |
No opinion | 12% |
Source: Decima Research
Methodology: Telephone interviews to 1,000 Canadian adults, conducted from Jun. 2 to Jun. 5, 2005. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.
