(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Many adults in Canada believe the tenure of Stéphane Dion as leader of the Liberal party should come to an end, according to a poll by Angus Reid Strategies. 76 per cent of respondents—and 71 per cent of those who voted for the Liberals in this month’s federal election—think Dion should be replaced.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Many adults in Canada believe the tenure of Stéphane Dion as leader of the Liberal party should come to an end, according to a poll by Angus Reid Strategies. 76 per cent of respondents—and 71 per cent of those who voted for the Liberals in this month’s federal election—think Dion should be replaced.
More than half of respondents believe the other four federal party leaders—Stephen Harper of the Conservative party, Jack Layton of the New Democratic Party (NDP), Giles Duceppe of the Bloc Québécois, and Green party leader Elizabeth May—should retain their positions.
Canadians renewed the House of Commons on Oct. 14. The Conservative party—led by Harper—received 37.6 per cent of the vote, and secured 143 seats in the 308-member lower house. Harper will assemble a minority administration. The Tories also earned a minority mandate after the 2006 election, ending more than 12 years of government by the Liberal party.
The Liberals have formed 23 of Canada’s 39 federal governments since 1867. In December 2006, former environment minister Dion became the new leader of the Liberal party. In the 2008 election, the Liberals garnered 26.2 per cent of the vote—the party’s second worst total in history—and 76 seats.
On Oct. 16, Liberal lawmaker Joe Volpe called for Dion’s resignation, saying, "Clearly, it appears that nobody’s going to give him the chance to do that rebuilding and I’d like him to go out with some dignity."
Polling Data
Do you think each of the following parties should retain their current leaders, or replace them? (All respondents)
|
Retain |
Replace |
Not sure |
|
|
New Democratic Party (NDP) |
67% |
20% |
12% |
|
Bloc Québécois (*) |
64% |
20% |
16% |
|
Conservative |
52% |
35% |
14% |
|
Green |
51% |
25% |
24% |
|
Liberal |
12% |
76% |
12% |
Do you think each of the following parties should retain their current leaders, or replace them? (Respondents who voted for each party in the Oct. 14 election)
|
Retain |
Replace |
Not sure |
|
|
Conservative |
89% |
6% |
4% |
|
Bloc Québécois (*) |
88% |
5% |
7% |
|
New Democratic Party (NDP) |
83% |
11% |
6% |
|
Green |
81% |
8% |
11% |
|
Liberal |
17% |
71% |
12% |
(*) Quebec respondents only
Source: Angus Reid Strategies
Methodology: Online interviews with 1,003 Canadian adults, conducted on Oct. 16 and Oct. 17, 2008. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.
Complete Poll (PDF)
