(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – The governing Liberal party holds a slight advantage in the early stages of Ontario’s electoral campaign, according to a poll by Angus Reid Strategies. 39 per cent of decided voters in Canada’s most populous province would support the Liberals, led by current premier Dalton McGuinty, in next month’s election.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – The governing Liberal party holds a slight advantage in the early stages of Ontario’s electoral campaign, according to a poll by Angus Reid Strategies. 39 per cent of decided voters in Canada’s most populous province would support the Liberals, led by current premier Dalton McGuinty, in next month’s election.
The Progressive Conservatives, led by John Tory, are a close second with 37 per cent, followed by the New Democratic Party (NDP) of Howard Hampton with 13 per cent, and the Green party of Frank de Jong with 10 per cent.
McGuinty has served as Ontario’s premier since October 2003, when his party won the provincial ballot, ending eight years of a Conservative administration. The election is scheduled for Oct. 10.
On Sept. 12, Tory discussed his proposal to extend full funding to non-Catholic faith-based schools under certain conditions, saying, "I have to do my best. I’m the leader and I’m accountable for the policies the party has developed and I think this is a policy that’s fair, it’s inclusive and it will strengthen public education in Ontario."
Yesterday, McGuinty criticized Tory’s plan, declaring, "When we take half a billion dollars out of public schools and put them in private schools, that benefits private interests. (…) I want all Ontarians to understand is that there’s a tremendous public good associated with investments in public schools and our public health care. It gives us a strong competitive advantage in the global economy."
Polling Data
In the Ontario provincial election on Oct. 10, which one of the following parties are you most likely to vote for in your constituency?
|
Liberal |
39% |
|
Progressive Conservative |
37% |
|
New Democratic Party (NDP) |
13% |
|
Green |
10% |
|
Other |
1% |
Source: Angus Reid Strategies
Methodology: Online interviews with 725 Ontario adults, conducted on Sept. 7 and Sept. 8, 2007. Margin of error is 3.6 per cent.
Other poll findings: Tory leads McGuinty as preferred premier, 54 per cent believe it is time for a change, 55 per cent say Ontario is on the right track, 33 per cent of respondents would keep existing first-past-the-post electoral system, 49 per cent oppose Tory’s faith-based schools proposal.
Complete Poll (PDF)
