(Angus Reid Global Scan) – Adults in Canada rank New Democratic Party leader Jack Layton as the most trustworthy federal political leader, according to a poll by Environics Research Group. 27 per cent of respondents believe Layton is most likely to return a lost wallet.
(Angus Reid Global Scan) – Adults in Canada rank New Democratic Party leader Jack Layton as the most trustworthy federal political leader, according to a poll by Environics Research Group. 27 per cent of respondents believe Layton is most likely to return a lost wallet.
Conservative leader Stephen Harper was second on the list with 19 per cent, followed by current prime minister and Liberal leader Paul Martin with 18 per cent and Bloc Québécois leader Gilles Duceppe with eight per cent. 14 per cent of respondents believe none of the four federal party leaders would return a lost wallet.
The government and the Liberal party have been affected by the public inquiry into the federal sponsorship program initiated during the tenure of prime minister Jean Chrétien to promote Canada in Quebec. In February 2004, 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.
Martin called a public inquiry into the sponsorship program last year. Justice John Gomery was put in charge of the investigation, which is expected to conclude in December 2005.
In April, Layton explained his party’s rise in voting intention polls, saying, “People are looking at 12 years of broken promises. (…) Their education is too expensive. They’ve got waiting lists for health. The Liberals are stealing their money and they’re looking for alternatives.”
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 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.
Polling Data
Which political leader is most likely to return a lost wallet?
Jack Layton (NDP) | 27% |
Stephen Harper (Con.) | 19% |
Paul Martin (Lib.) | 18% |
Gilles Duceppe (BQ) | 8% |
None of them | 14% |
Don’t know | 14% |
Source: Environics Research Group
Methodology: Interviews to 1,200 Canadian adults, conducted from May 12 to May 16, 2005. Margin of error is 2.9 per cent.
